Scientists Confirm New Congo Monkey Species After 3,000-Mile Search
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 15
Scientists Confirm New Congo Monkey Species After 3,000-Mile Search
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 15
Summary
PLOS One on Wednesday published the identification of Likweli, or Colobus congoensis, a newly confirmed monkey species found in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s central rainforest.
More than 3,000 miles of patrols, 114 field observations over four years, and skin, skeleton and tissue samples from three dead specimens established that the monkey is distinct.
The black-coated colobus, about 15 pounds and roughly four feet long, was first photographed in 2008, then repeatedly sighted from 2018 after researchers launched a dedicated search.
Its known range is only about 650 square miles around the Lomami River and Lomami National Park, where hunting bans likely helped protect a species that split from its closest relative about 5 million years ago.
Likweli is the second primate species discovered in the area in 15 years, underscoring how the Congo Basin still holds poorly studied lineages with conservation risks and evolutionary importance.