Probably one of the most successful video game franchises in recent years, Monster Hunter has always been a series that has captured the imagination of many people with its fantastical yet realistic creatures. From the scary Vaal Hazak to the goofy...
The Primate order contains a wide range of species that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and roles in their ecosystems. Whether it be the long fingerred aye-ayes, tiny tarsiers, powerful gorillas, crafty macaques, cat-like Felynes, or the clever Homo sapiens, this successful lineage has managed to conquer every continent on the planet, with the exception of Antarctica.
But despite these enormous varieties in body plans and ecological niches, all Primates still have some things in common. They have facing eyes which gives them good depth perception, flexible shoulder joints that allow them to rotate their arms in every direction, dexterous fingers that make the task of grasping things easier, and large brains compared to their bodies.
It's because of these features and genetic testing that we were able to identify the Pelagi to be an infraorder of Primates, even though many of its members have unusual body plans. However, some species took these unorthodox designs to the extreme.
While most Pelagi have exceptionally strong arms and legs, four different species in Asia ended up taking a dramatically different route in their evolution. Instead of becoming powerful brawlers, they've adapted to be acrobatic gliders.
Thanks to their pseudo wings, these Primates are capable of covering quite a lot of distance by simply spreading out their limbs. In addition to this, these flaps of skin can aid in slowing falls when leaping from one point to the next.
But even with these gliding membranes, these aerial monkeys aren't capable of powered flight. This means they're still reliant on trees and other high points to keep themselves safe from predators, and to act as launchpads for when they take to the skies. Luckily for Nychteropithicus aquanus, the island of Sumatra provides these animals with a multitude of elevated places for their needs.
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Better known as Kecha Wachas, trunked monkeys or monkey foxes, these animals typically stand at 1.2 meters in height, and 1.8 in length when counting the tail. Overall, these Pelagi are around the same size as olive baboons, though the former's prepositions are vastly different.
Similarly to the order master brachiators of Sumatra, the Sumatran orangutans and Sumatran lar gibbons, the arms of these Pelaguses are significantly longer than their legs. However, unlike the other tree swinging Primates they coexist with, the hands of Kecha Wachas have a very unique design.
Just like most members in the Pelagus infraorder, Kecha Wacha hands possess three fingers and one thumb. But when it comes to this species, their fourth digit has almost completely disappeared. Like the spider monkeys of Latin America, Kecha Wachas devolved their thumbs to prevent the digits from accidentally getting caught on branches. To compensate for this decrease in gripping capability, the Pelagi's fingers have evolved to become elongated, and end in long, sharp, hooked claws which they use to snag onto tree limbs and vines.
Thanks to their unique hand structure, these Pelagi are able to effortlessly swing through Sumatra's jungles at amazing speeds; however these aren't the only tools which allow them to be so at home in the treetops. Similarly to their forelimbs, the tail of Kecha Wachas are surprisingly long, and possess a hooked barb that both resemble and act like ice axes.
