A new monkey species with a mask-like face and a strong body odor has been discovered in a remote rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is only the fifth new monkey species found in Africa in the last 75 years.
The monkey is known as "likweli" to local people, and scientists have named it Colobus congoensis. It lives in one of the most remote parts of the forest, where there are no paved roads or public infrastructure. To reach the area, research teams must fly, ride motorcycles, hike on foot for two days, and finally travel by dugout canoe.
One of the most interesting features of the likweli is its face. It has light-colored skin around its mouth and nose, which makes it look like it is wearing a mask. While other African colobus monkeys do not have this pattern, it looks similar to some monkeys in Asia. Researchers believe this mask-like look might be an ancient trait that existed before African and Asian monkeys separated more than 8 million years ago.
Scientists first got a clue about the monkey in 2008, when a research team took a photograph showing a part of an unknown animal high in the forest trees. In 2018, another group spotted the monkey again. The animal is about 1.3 meters long and weighs around 7 kilograms. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 114 recorded sightings and sound recordings of the species. Finally, in 2021, scientists analyzed monkeys that had been confiscated from bushmeat hunters. DNA tests and physical comparisons confirmed it was a completely new species.
Genetic analysis shows that the likweli split from its closest relative, the black colobus (Colobus satanas), about 4 to 5 million years ago. This is much older than scientists expected. The new species is separated from its close relatives by more than 1,200 kilometers and several large rivers.
However, the newly discovered monkey is already in danger. While most other related monkeys live across large regions, the likweli is only known to live in a small area of 1,700 square kilometers. Because its habitat is so small and it is hunted for meat, the research team is proposing that the monkey be listed as endangered. They hope to grant it official legal protection to stop hunting in and around the national park.