Proboscis monkey are unlike any other primate . The males ’ nose are almost four inch long – because female find it sexy , naturally . Plus , they ’re the only primates to cast off up their half - digested food and eat their meals all over again .
Grazing animate being like oxen and sheep practice something known as reflexion , which mean they eat their food once , partly stick out it in their belly until it ’s nice and indulgent , then barf back up the larger bits of food and run through them again . The extra chewing helps break down the more stubborn cud and provide them to gain access to even more nutrients . It ’s a perfectly valid – if disgusting – dietary scheme , but until now it was think that no primates practiced musing .
But now we ’ve observed the pattern in proboscis scalawag , an strange species ascertain on the island of Borneo . They get their public figure because of the males ’ over - sized nose , which play a function in attracting females that I honestly choose not to contemplate . ( In all seriousness , it ’s thought a larger nose permit the rascal to make louder , deeply sounds that make it vocalise bigger than it really is , which can be useful in aver authorization during mating . )
Researchers keep 200 of these monkeys , and 23 of them regurgitated their food for thought for further feeding . The monkeys had a pretty nifty technique – they would suck in their stomachs and stick out their tongues before barfing , which keep all the cud in their sass . They ’re the first prelate we ’ve observed that really ruminate as a dietetic scheme and not just as a pathologic behavior – gorilla and humans have both been known to do this , but it ’s not considered “ normal ” behaviour for them .
Biology Lettersvia LiveScience .
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