Scientists have confirmed a new species of monkey in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, CNN reports. Named Colobus congoensis and known locally as the Likweli, it has a glossy black coat, striking orange-cream markings around its lips and face, large folded ears and a deep, roaring call.
The first hint of the animal was a photograph taken in 2008. Researchers led by Kate Detwiler of Florida Atlantic University and Christopher Gilbert of the CUNY Graduate Center went on to log 114 sightings between 2018 and 2022 in east-central DRC, building the evidence needed to describe it.
It is only the fifth new monkey species identified in Africa in the past 75 years. Primatologist Alexander Georgiev of Bangor University called such a discovery very rare and exciting indeed, and it underlines how much remains to be found in the Congo Basin.
Source: CNN