Biologists led by Ngwe Lwin from the Myanmar Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association discovered the species in early 2010 after hunters reported the presence of a monkey species with prominent lips and wide upturned nostrils, a press release said Tuesday.

The species has been named Rhinopithecus strykeri, but in local dialects it is called mey nwoah, "monkey with an upturned face."

Local people familiar with the monkeys claim they're easy to find when it rains because rainwater gets in their upturned noses, making them sneeze. To avoid getting rainwater in their noses they spend rainy days sitting with their heads tucked between their knees, locals say.

Limited to Myanmar's Maw River area, with as few as 260-330 people living in an area of slightly more than 100 square miles, the species has been declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Other species of snub-nosed monkeys are found in parts of China and Vietnam and all are considered endangered, researchers say.

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