Isolation of a novel species of Bifidobacteriaceae from the herbivourous primates Theropitecus gelada

The Theropitecus gelada (fig.1), sometimes called the bleeding-heart monkey for their unmistakable red and hairless spot at the center of the chest, useful to indicate the social and reproductive status of the individual, are rocks monkeys living on the stony plateaus of Central Ethiopia, between 1,800 and 4,400 meters high. [1][2] These primates are perfectly suited to running and moving on the ground and find their natural habitat in rocky slopes, especially near rivers and streams. They are diurnal monkeys, and the most important trait of this animals is that they are the only known species of primates to be exclusively herbivores. After a trip of about a thousand kilometers, 6 monkeys of this species are housed in Italy, in the Natura Viva Park of Verona.