Scientists confirm new monkey species in DR Congo nearly 20 years after mystery photo

Scientists identified a monkey in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a species not previously recognized by science, a finding linked to a 2008 photograph of the forest canopy.

Now called Colobus congoensis, the monkey has black hair and a noticeable orange area around its mouth, a trait that helped set it apart from other known monkeys.

Here’s what to know

According to The Indian Express, researchers’ interest was sparked by that image, which showed only part of a dark monkey from behind.

That limited glimpse prompted scientists to revisit the region from 2018 through 2022 to investigate the animal more closely.

Across those trips, the team recorded repeated sightings while noting how the monkey looked and behaved. Among the most distinctive details were the orange marking around its mouth and its low, resonant calls.

Skull comparisons showed the monkey was smaller than Colobus satanas, the black colobus. DNA analysis later indicated that the group is a separate lineage that split from C. satanas at least 4 million years ago.

The Indian Express reported that the findings, published in PLOS One on July 15, give Colobus congoensis its formal scientific status.

More background

Finding a new primate species is rare.

Remote, difficult-to-study forests can still hold animals that science has not documented, even when local communities have known about them for years.

In this case, some people in the area already knew the monkey by the name Likweli.

The species may be at risk. The Indian Express reported that hunters target the monkey for meat, and its known range covers only about 650 square miles. Researchers still don’t know how many of the monkeys remain.

Healthy forests support biodiversity, climate stability, and the communities that rely on forest ecosystems in daily life.

What’s being done?

Scientists still need better data on the monkey’s population, its range, and the pressures it faces across that habitat.

Researchers emphasized that protecting the species will require safeguarding its forest home and the wider ecosystem that supports it and that local communities need to be part of that effort. The Congo Basin’s forests are also gaining protection through a newly launched conservation corridor connecting protected areas across the region.

A species can survive in a landscape for generations, known to nearby communities but invisible to formal science, and still face serious risks before the wider world realizes it exists.

Colobus congoensis is new to science and may already need protection.

Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.