New monkey species with orange lips found 'hiding' in DRC forest
Researchers have identified a new species of monkey, the Colobus congoensis, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Lomami National Park. The primate is distinguished by its unique pinkish-orange lips and was confirmed through genetic studies and audio recordings.
Why it matters
The discovery of a new primate species is a rare event that highlights the importance of biodiversity conservation in dense tropical forests.
Image source, Junior Amboko Image caption, The monkey, known locally as 'Likweli', has distinctive pinkish-orange lips
A monkey that has striking pinkish-orange lips and a black face - and lives in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo - has been confirmed as a new species to science.
The black-furred primate was spotted and photographed hidden away in the high tree canopy of dense tropical forests in Lomami National Park, in the central east of the country.
Conservationists working there first reported seeing this unusual-looking animal back in 2008. But they captured just one blurry photograph.
After another sighting 10 years later, an international team set out to find and study the monkey and revealed that it was a previously unknown species.
This is only the fifth African monkey species to be discovered in the last 75 years.
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