A new orange-faced monkey was found in the Congo

Nicknamed “Likweli”, full name, according to the nickname given by the local population Colobus congoensisis otherwise black but the area around its mouth is orange. There is also a white spot on the back.

Likweli is also very rare, shy and enjoys high up in the treetops. Of the 52 local communities interviewed by the researchers, only 8 acknowledged ever having seen it.

The species is the fifth new monkey species found in Africa in 75 years.

Congoensis stands out from the rest Colobus-monkeys, especially with their orange faces and spiky “hair”. They are also others colobuksia smaller ones.

Others of colobus ways congoensiksella has four fingers. It has no thumbs.

Firsta fuzzy photo of an unidentified monkey species was obtained as early as 2008, but it took ten years for the monkey’s story to begin to unravel.

When researchers established a new research center in the area in 2018, they spotted and photographed similar-looking monkeys again.

During the following four years, the researchers searched for animals in the Lomami National Park area and, among other things, recorded their loud vocalizations. They also study animal corpses.

The researchers made sure that the monkey is a new species of its own. Scientists also recommend that it be listed as endangered immediately, as it only occurs in an area of ​​about 1,700 square kilometers.

Although the monkey lives in the national park, hunting and farming in the park’s border areas may endanger it in the future, researchers say.