A monkey that has pinkish-orange lips and a black face – and lives in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – has been confirmed as a new species to science.
The black-furred primate was spotted and photographed hidden away in the high tree canopy of tropical forests in Lomami National Park, in the central east of the country.
Conservationists first reported seeing this animal back in 2008, capturing one blurry photograph.
After another sighting 10 years later, an international team set out to find and study the monkey, revealing that it was a previously unknown species.
This is only the fifth African monkey species to be discovered in the last 75 years.
Florida Atlantic University PhD student Junior Amboko played a leading role in the search.
Amboko says it was an “amazing feeling” to look into the face of an animal so few people knew existed.
“Discovering” a species, in this context, means officially recording and confirming it has evolved to be genetically distinct.
Some local people already knew of the monkey’s existence and refer to it by a common name – ‘Likweli’.
“We interviewed people in 52 villages close to where the animals live.
And only people in eight villages [had ever seen] them,” he says.
The research team gave the animal the Latin name Colobus congoensis in recognition of the natural diversity in the country.
It belongs to the larger group of colobus monkeys.
“These are really important African monkeys that don’t have thumbs,” says Kate Detwiler from Florida Atlantic University.
“They’re these herbivores of the canopy that are a critical part of the ecosystem.
We think they have a lot to do with processing seeds and germination in the forest.”
Detwiler says their bright facial markings could be a visual signal to other animals, potentially attractive to a mate or allowing the animals to identify each other.
The monkeys have a distinctive ‘roaring’ call. “You often hear them, but don’t see them,” says Amboko.
They think the animals are rare and restricted to a part of the forest where they can find the food and habitat they need.
The animals are hunted for meat, so the researchers hope now that it is classified as a distinct species it can be officially protected.
The researchers say they still have questions and plan to carry out a more detailed survey to estimate their population and study their behaviour.
