This week I have a specimen that I’ve been looking at recently that you might like to have a go at identifying:
Mystery monkey
This was being used in handling sessions and needed a tooth to be reattached (huzzah for Paraloid B72), but I noticed that it lacked an identification beyond ‘monkey’ and I thought that could be improved upon.
Here it is laid out more usefully for identification purposes:
I know what I’ve narrowed it down to, but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
Zygoma 
can I name the genus or do you want it in hints? For now the hint: starts with a “M” and ends with a “e” and it has something to do with crabs..
Hints are good! However, it’s not the one you’re thinking of 😉
I think 😉
I was thinking perhaps R***** monkey?
Not quite!
could it be an old world herbivorous monkey native to Africa?
Not strictly herbivorous, but it is native to Africa.
ah ok … its omnivorous, speedy when running with black-olive fur (depending on species) with certain individuals having distinguishable blue ‘bits’?
Isn’t it the one whose extended species Robert Sapolsky wrote about in his memoirs? Do their cousins have manes and live on cliffs near where we evolved?
Am completely guessing, of course, based on length of jaw and the comments here so far.
I swear I’d be better at this if the questions were about cricket records. Ask me about Bradman, or Jardine or Tendulkar… 🙂
Is it by any chance a member of the C*************e?
Also, may I just that, often inscrutable though it may be to dilettante me, I adore this series by Paolo and it makes my life a little richer each week.
Many thanks to all.
Although if this thing turns out to be one of those things carpenters use, I want a full explanation as to why…
Thanks palfreyman – really glad that you are still enjoying the mystery object!
Also, you’re not far off – not quite there, but definitely close!
Is it a Celebes M*****e? 🙂
Second thoughts… Sooty M******y.? 🙂
Very close!
Mystery #265 Erythrocebus patas; The Patas Monkey. Initially I thought it was a Hamadryas Baboon but the snout was shorter on this specimen. I assumed it was a Cercopithecid.
I am going to confess up here, I am beginning to check out the mystery objects of the week routinely, and take a wild guess but usually am nowhere near the answer ha ha, but I do enjoy reading everyone else’s guesses! Thanks for posting!