Endangered Primate Offers Clues to Climate Change

Scientists are studying a rare African monkey that’s endangered both from climate change and humans. They hope the primate’s past can give clues to the future effects of rising temperatures.

It’s called the Mandrillus leucophaeus, or drill for short, and lives in the equatorial rainforests of Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. It’s not the first time the drill has faced problems from climate change. University of Oregon Anthropology Professor Nelson Ting says about 3,000 to 5,000 years ago, there was a large decline in their population.