The Fear of Monkeys - The Best E-Zine on the Web for Politically Conscious WritingThe Proboscis Monkey - Issue Twenty-Two
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The Proboscis Monkey: photo from Charlesjsharp of  Sharp PhotographyThe Proboscis Monkey or long nosed monkey is a reddish brown arboreal Old World monkey that is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo. They also go by the Malay name monyet belanda (Dutch monkey) as Indonesians remarked that the Dutch colonisers often had similarly large bellies and noses. Males have a maximum known weight of 30 kg while Females weigh 7 to 12 kg, with a maximum known mass of 15 kg. The large nose of the male can exceed 10.2 cm in length and hangs lower than the mouth. They live most commonly in coastal areas and along rivers. They favour dipterocarp, mangrove and riverine forests. It is perhaps the most aquatic of the primates and is a fairly good swimmer, capable of swimming up to 20 m underwater and have been known to swim across rivers. They have a long coat; the fur on the back is bright orange, reddish brown, yellowish brown or brick-red. Their face is orange-pink and the male has a red penis with a black scrotum. Both sexes have bulging stomachs that give the monkeys what resembles a pot belly and many of the monkeys' toes are webbed. Females become sexually mature at five years old and copulations tend to last for half a minute with both sexes participating although now always successfully. Perhaps this is because the male will grab the female by the ankles or torso and mount her from behind. It likely doesn't help that when soliciting sexual attention, both sexes will pouted, the males will sometimes vocalize, the females will present their backsides, and mating pairs are sometimes harassed by subadults. Proboscis monkeys eat primarily fruit and leaves, but will also eat flowers, seeds and insects to a lesser extent. Their daily activities consist of resting, traveling, feeding and keeping vigilant. As night approaches, the monkeys move back near the river and forage again. The proboscis monkey is assessed as Endangered and its total population has decreased by more than 50% in the past 36-40 years to 2008 due to ongoing habitat loss and hunting in some areas. The largest remaining populations are found in Kalimantan; there are far fewer in Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah.

   


Twin Girls, 1948 - Donal Mahoney An intergenerational wrestling with the good and bad of the modern fascination with diagnosis

A Pilgrim's Progress - John Grey Some cash in the pocket can make a huge difference

Rocky And Bullwinkle Discuss Their Presidents - B. Craig Grafton When these goofy and familiar characters debate the merits of presidents somehow the presidents get the worst of the discussion

The Gun Show in Alabama - Ron Riekki When a lack of gun control combines with the media it can be slaughter

The Mexican in the Bathroom - Weldon H. Sandusky How do we measure mental illness when the culture is equally socially ill? [This is the fifth in a series of installments - Issues Eighteen to Twenty-Five]

Toots - T.R. Healy Forgiveness is sometimes the hardest thing to achieve

White Guilt - Amy Penne Sometimes racist actions are not as racist as they appear, as children mimic their parent's behavior

The Dove Handler - Andrew J. Hogan In an environmental horror story, we are left to wonder how the planet would repay us

Date the Candidate - Laryssa Wirstiuk A show-piece or a real date with someone in the public eye?

Three Stooges - Marc Carver What are our lives worth? Hopefully the pay comes with benefits and vacation time

Running Parallel - Ela Meyer We reveal more about ourselves than others in our daily interactions

Grease Poet - Richard King Perkins II Poets can be found everywhere, although they are not always appreciated

 

 

 

 

 

 

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