Congo forest monkey confirmed as a new species
The Lomami National Park find is only the fifth African monkey described by science in the past 75 years.
A research team has confirmed Likweli, a black-furred monkey with reddish-orange lips and a dark face in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as a new species to science. The species was named Colobus congoensis in a study published July 15 in the journal PLOS One. It lives in the canopy of dense tropical forest around Lomami National Park in central-eastern Congo. Researchers first photographed it in 2008, then gathered enough evidence through follow-up surveys from 2018-2022. The identification relied on genetic, anatomical and acoustic analysis, along with field observations. The team recorded 114 sightings across an area of about 1,700 square kilometers. Scientists recommended the species be listed as endangered because of its limited habitat, hunting and forest loss.