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Much - beloved wild Africanmonkeysthat live near the Fort Lauderdale airport are the descendent of a crew of zoo escapee from 1948 .
Local lore long held that the monkey ( Chlorocebus sabaeus ) may have descend from a failed individual zoo , but a new genetic study and diachronic deep dive into the region ’s history now confirm that the monkeys ' ancestors came from the Darnia Chimpanzee Farm , which shut down in 1956 . The private zoo import monkey for habit in animal research and also acted as a roadside attracter , complete with alligator wrestling .
Two green monkeys perch near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Researchers led by Deborah " Missy " Williams , a life scientist at Florida Atlantic University , are presently working to economise the small universe of escapee descendent , 36 in all , that live near the Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport and nearby Dania Beach . Williams and her fellow created a database of all 36 imp ' appearance and conducted a genetic analysis to determine where the ancestors of the animals came from . diachronic platter suggest that Darnia Chimpanzee Farm spell its monkeys from Sierra Leone .
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A genic analytic thinking of two fragments ofDNAfrom the male monkeys ' Ychromosomesand one fragment of mitochondrial DNA , which is passed down only through the maternal line , revealed that the rapscallion are immature monkeys , so advert because of the greenish tinge to their mostly brown fur . Green monkeys are nearly related to vervet monkeys , and sometimes the times are used interchangeably . The Florida monkeys ' antecedent herald from western Africa , the researchers reported May 8 in the journalPrimates .
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The monkeys are also known for their golden - tipped tales and , in male , aristocratical scrota .
South Florida is also home to introduce population of two other rapscallion species : Macaca mulatta macaque ( Macaca mulatta ) and squirrel monkey ( Saimiri sciureus ) . The vervet monkeys be near the airport Park ' N Go , where they rarely make bother , the parking lot managertold Local10 News in January . But the scalawag do occasionally rifle through cars with open window , looking for snacks . The species is very adaptable , Kate Detwiler , the study ’s fourth-year author and an anthropologist at Florida Atlantic University , said in a financial statement .
" Data from our study lays the groundwork for future report to accost novel questions about the condition of the universe and how the rapscallion have adapted to the urban and industrial environs of South Florida , " Detwiler order . " The correct taxonomic designation and history of the introduce Dania Beach monkeys is important for community outreach and wildlife management , give the remarkable power forChlorocebusto boom in most surround . "
earlier published on Live Science .
