If ever there was a thing I coveted more in life, it’s a thumb monkey. Because 1) Monkeys are great. 2) This one is tiny. Just my luck, owning one is illegal, unethical and not exactly good for the monkeys.
At any rate, these tiny, endangered primates from the Amazon rainforests are being purchased as accessories in China.
Referring to thumb or finger monkeys as an “it pet” for 2016—the Chinese Year of the Monkey—Mashable notes that it’s classified as “the world’s smallest monkey, with a body size that ranges from 5.5 to 6.3 inches” and “weighs no more than 4.9 ounces.”
People in China seem to be taking advantage and copping painfully cute thumb monkeys (better known as pygmy marmosets) for thousands of dollars:
It’s illegal to sell it, but it is being sold for up to 30,000 yuan ($4,500). The hefty price tag and law certainly isn’t stopping China’s nouveau riche from owning a “thumb monkey.”
To that end, thumb monkey photos have reportedly popped up on the social media site Sina Weibo. Can’t own one, but you can look at ’em in awe.
Contact the author at clover@jezebel.com.
Image via Twitter
DISCUSSION
I kind of want to start a thumb monkey rescue center now for when these little critters are inevitably abandoned. I would have the best miniature jungle gym for them...made of Tinker Toys and boba straws.