Today marks the start of Chinese New Year, with millions of people around the world taking part in colourful celebrations. Each Chinese New Year is characterised by one of 12 animals which appear in the Chinese Zodiac. This year it’s the Year of the Monkey, the 9th of the 12 animals in the Zodiac.

As well as sharing the monkey sign with celebrity environmentalists Tom Hanks, Bo Derek and Gisele Bündchen, people born under the monkey sign are said to share certain character traits. To mark the start of the New Year, we’ve swung around the Arkive collection to reveal the personality traits people born in the Year of the Monkey share with their wild relatives.

Witty

People born in the Year of the Monkey are thought to have a good sense of humour, like this guy…

…they’re also partial to monkeying around like this pair having a snowball fight…

Japanese macaques play fighting in snow

and they’re not afraid of taking risks…

Barbary macaques playing dangerously near a cliff edge

Intelligent

With expressive faces monkeys are really charismatic but they aren’t just interesting to look at, they are also very intelligent. They are particularly bright when it comes to finding food.

From swimming to find the best food…

Assam macaque swimming

…to washing it before eating it…

Japanese macaque running to sea to clean a sweet potato

…many monkey species know how to feed their appetites. But they also know to make sure they get their vitamins and minerals. Take these gray langurs licking rocks to obtain salt…

Group of gray langurs at natural salt lick

…and this dusky leaf monkey whose found water on tap…

Dusky leaf monkey drinking from tap

Mischievous

The Endangered Barbary macaque is the only native species of primate to occur in Europe. But like its relatives, this monkey has a rather mischievous side. Like all macaques, they have cheek pouches beside the lower teeth that are used to store food when foraging and can hold as much food as the stomach. But why forage when you can just steal? Watch this cheeky monkey steel food from another’s cheek pouch.

Click image to watch video of Barbary macaque stealing food from another’s mouth

Ultimately, monkeys they know how to have a good time…

Click image to watch video

新年好

新年好

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We’ve asked conservation organisations around the world to nominate a species that they believe to be overlooked, underappreciated and unloved, and tell us why they think that they deserve a fair share of the limelight, this Valentine’s Day.

Each nominee’s story is featured on the Arkive blog with information on the species, what makes them so special, the conservation organisation that nominated them and how they are working to save them from extinction.

Click the ‘unloved species’ tag above to see all of the nominations and their blogs.

Once you have perused the blogs you can vote for your favourite to help get them into the top ten unloved species and get them the recognition that they truly deserve! Share your favourite with others using the #LoveSpecies hashtag on Twitter and Facebook and tell them why they should vote for them too. Voting closes on February 14th at 23:59 PST (07:59 GMT).

Join us and our conservation partners in celebrating and raising awareness for some of the world’s most unloved species this Valentine’s Day!

Species: Mangrove finch

Nominated by: Charles Darwin Foundation

Conservation status: Critically Endangered

Why do you love it? The mangrove finch (Camarynchus heliobates) is one of 14 species of Darwin’s finches that only live in the Galapagos Islands. It is the rarest bird in the archipelago with an estimated population of 80 individuals, inhabiting just 30 hectards at two sites on Isabela Island.

What are the threats to the mangrove finch: The main known threats to this species are the introduced parasitic fly, Philornis downsi and the introduced black rat (Rattus rattus).

What are you doing to save it? The Mangrove Finch Project is a bi-institutional project carried out by the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park Directorate in collaboration with San Diego Zoo Global and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. The project is supported by Galapagos Conservation Trust, The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust, and The British Embassy in Ecuador.

Find out more about the work of the Charles Darwin Foundation

Discover more of Darwin’s finches on Arkive

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We’ve asked conservation organisations around the world to nominate a species that they believe to be overlooked, underappreciated and unloved, and tell us why they think that they deserve a fair share of the limelight, this Valentine’s Day.

Each nominee’s story is featured on the Arkive blog with information on the species, what makes them so special, the conservation organisation that nominated them and how they are working to save them from extinction.

Click the ‘unloved species’ tag above to see all of the nominations and their blogs.

Once you have perused the blogs you can vote for your favourite to help get them into the top ten unloved species and get them the recognition that they truly deserve! Share your favourite with others using the #LoveSpecies hashtag on Twitter and Facebook and tell them why they should vote for them too. Voting closes on February 14th at 23:59 PST (07:59 GMT).

Join us and our conservation partners in celebrating and raising awareness for some of the world’s most unloved species this Valentine’s Day!

Species: Mountain chicken

Nominated by: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Conservation status: Critically Endangered

Why do you love it? Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but we believe the mountain chicken is a beautiful frog! It’s the largest frog in the Americas and top native terrestrial predator on Montserrat and Dominica and culturally important to the islanders. It has a unique breeding system, with a high degree of parental care making it more like a bird than a frog and living up to its common English moniker. Once abundant across the islands its population has been decimated and its once familiar deep call has disappeared from the night-time.

What are the threats to the mountain chicken? Primary threat is the amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

What are you doing to save it? The Mountain Chicken Recovery Programme is a partnership between Durrell, ZSL, Chester Zoo, Norden’s Ark and the Governments of Montserrat and Dominica.

One key activity this year is that we want to unite the last two known wild mountain chickens on Montserrat – one male and one female – in the hope that they will breed, and with everyone’s support provide a happy Valentine’s ending for all.

Find out more about Durrell’s work with the mountain chicken

Find out more about the collaborative effort to save the mountain chicken from extinction

Discover more frog and toad species on Arkive

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We’ve asked conservation organisations around the world to nominate a species that they believe to be overlooked, underappreciated and unloved, and tell us why they think that they deserve a fair share of the limelight, this Valentine’s Day.

Each nominee’s story is featured on the Arkive blog with information on the species, what makes them so special, the conservation organisation that nominated them and how they are working to save them from extinction.

Click the ‘unloved species’ tag above to see all of the nominations and their blogs.

Once you have perused the blogs you can vote for your favourite to help get them into the top ten unloved species and get them the recognition that they truly deserve! Share your favourite with others using the #LoveSpecies hashtag on Twitter and Facebook and tell them why they should vote for them too. Voting closes on February 14th at 23:59 PST (07:59 GMT).

Join us and our conservation partners in celebrating and raising awareness for some of the world’s most unloved species this Valentine’s Day!

Species: Smalltooth sawfish

Nominated by: Sharks4Kids

Conservation status: Critically Endangered

Why do you love it? The smalltooth sawfish is a perfect ambassador for the diverse, weird and wonderful world of elasmobranchs. The sawfish is a remarkable creature and we’ve been fortunate enough to see a couple in the wild. Most students know about tiger sharks and great whites, but we want their knowledge, curiosity and compassion to spread beyond the celebrity sharks.

What are the threats to the smalltooth sawfish? Their range and population has been drastically reduced over the last century due to fishing. Once a targeted species, they are now mostly caught as bycatch. Because of the teeth on their rostrum, they are easily caught in nets, including gill nets and trawling equipment. Habitat loss has also had an impact, with development removing critical mangrove and estuary areas.

What are you doing to save it? Our main focus is to teach students all around the world about elasmobranchs, the threats they face and how people can help. We do a lot of work with students in Florida and The Bahamas, so the smalltooth sawfish is a very relevant species to discuss. We have created posters and information sheets for kids and teachers to have in the classroom, as well as collaborating with other organisations like Shark Advocates International to promote better global protection of the 5 species of sawfish, all listed as Critically Endangered. We have also done blog interviews with researchers studying these animals, as a way of sharing even more information about these incredible creatures.

Find out more about Sharks4Kids and their conservation work

Discover more ray and skate species on Arkive

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We’ve asked conservation organisations around the world to nominate a species that they believe to be overlooked, underappreciated and unloved, and tell us why they think that they deserve a fair share of the limelight, this Valentine’s Day.

Each nominee’s story is featured on the Arkive blog with information on the species, what makes them so special, the conservation organisation that nominated them and how they are working to save them from extinction.

Click the ‘unloved species’ tag above to see all of the nominations and their blogs.

Once you have perused the blogs you can vote for your favourite to help get them into the top ten unloved species and get them the recognition that they truly deserve! Share your favourite with others using the #LoveSpecies hashtag on Twitter and Facebook and tell them why they should vote for them too. Voting closes on February 14th at 23:59 PST (07:59 GMT).

Join us and our conservation partners in celebrating and raising awareness for some of the world’s most unloved species this Valentine’s Day!

Species: Grey-headed flying fox

Nominated by: Wildlife Land Trust

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Why do you love it? Grey-headed flying-foxes are Australia’s only endemic flying-fox and one of the largest bats in the world.  They are able to travel large distances for food making them vital for pollination and thus the reproduction, regeneration and evolution of a range of forest ecosystems.  They are also critical to the survival of a number of coastal vegetation species that are only receptive to pollination at night.  Grey-headed flying-foxes are also highly social and intelligent animals, and the often vitriolic and unwarranted treatment they receive makes it all the more important to stand up for them!

What are the threats to the grey-headed flying fox? Threats to the grey-headed flying-fox are numerous, and include habitat loss and fragmentation (particularly in urban areas), climate change (grey-headed flying-foxes are unable to tolerate very high temperatures, making them susceptible to heat stress deaths during hot periods) and shooting by orchardists for crop protection.  This latter threat is particularly disturbing due to the nature of injuries suffered, with documented instances of pregnant flying-foxes or mothers with reliant young stranded on the ground dying of starvation due to punctured wings.  Not even the dwindling remnants of flying-fox habitat are safe, with urban colonies often being subject to forced dispersals due to people not liking living next door to them – these are often conducted through methods with severe implications on animal welfare.

What are you doing to save it? The Wildlife Land Trust has been long involved with grey-headed flying fox conservation, from our nomination that led to the species being listed as nationally threatened (under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) in 2001, to our ongoing involvement in the New South Wales Flying-fox Consultative Committee.

We were also instrumental in the establishment of a wildlife-friendly orchard netting subsidy in New South Wales which has halted licenced shooting for crop protection in the state, and continue to lobby authorities on the importance of maintaining existing camps and protecting habitat suitable for grey-headed flying-foxes at a local, state and federal level.  Our ongoing efforts are focusing on improving legal protection and management policies throughout the various jurisdictions grey-headed flying-foxes call home.

Find out more about the Wildlife Land Trust and their work

Discover more bat species on Arkive

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