Rediscovering Forgotten Monkeys in the Amazon 🌿🐒

In April 2025, researchers Jean Boubli and Thiago Semedo (PhD student at the University of Porto), with support from REWILD, BIOPOLIS, and Salford University, embarked on a groundbreaking expedition to the Foz do Canumã region in the Brazilian Amazon.

This area holds deep historical significance — over 200 years ago, naturalists Spix and Martius traveled through the region, collecting the holotype of Plecturocebus cinerascens, a titi monkey species long forgotten by science. The original type locality had never been clearly defined, and no modern expedition had returned to confirm the species' presence — until now.

Our team revisited this historic site to uncover whether P. cinerascens still lives in the area. This effort not only revealed valuable new insights into its current distribution and conservation status, but also emphasized the importance of revisiting classical collection localities — places where species were first described — to better understand and protect Amazonian biodiversity.

But that wasn’t all.

We also journeyed to the remote Lago Baptista region, where Plecturocebus baptista was originally described 86 years ago by the Olalla brothers. Since then, the species hadn’t been seen again in the wild — until our expedition.

For the first time since its original discovery, P. baptista was documented in its natural habitat. We captured photographic and observational records confirming its continued existence, offering crucial evidence of its survival and opening new doors for research into its ecology, distribution, and conservation needs.

This expedition honors the legacy of early naturalists and reignites scientific attention on these elusive titi monkeys — a powerful reminder that the Amazon still holds many secrets waiting to be rediscovered. 🌍📚✨

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