New Monkey Species With Orange Lips Confirmed in Africa Forests

• Scientists confirmed a new monkey species with striking pinkish-orange lips and a black face living in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo
• The rare primate, known locally as Likweli, was first spotted in Lomami National Park in 2008 but took years of research to officially classify
• Commenters online pushed back on the word 'discovery', pointing out that local Congolese communities had long known the animal existed

A black-furred monkey with vivid pinkish-orange lips, known to local communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo for generations, has been formally confirmed as a new species by an international team of researchers. The primate lives high in the dense tropical canopy of Lomami National Park in central-eastern DRC. Conservationists first photographed it in 2008, but that single blurry image was not enough to act on.

A second sighting a decade later prompted a full scientific investigation involving audio recordings, photography and genetic analysis. The findings were published in the journal PLoS One. Junior Amboko, a PhD student at Florida Atlantic University who led much of the fieldwork, described the moment as an "amazing feeling" to look into the face of an animal so few outsiders had ever encountered.

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A shy animal hidden in plain sight

The species has been given the Latin name Colobus congoensis, a nod to the country's remarkable natural diversity. It belongs to the colobus monkey family, a group of thumb-less herbivores that play a vital role in forest ecosystems by helping disperse seeds and support germination.

The team interviewed residents across 52 villages near the animal's habitat. Only people in eight of those villages had ever laid eyes on one. Local communities already knew the monkey and called it by its common name, Likweli.

Prof Kate Detwiler from Florida Atlantic University noted that the monkeys' unusual facial colouring may serve as a visual signal between individuals or potential mates. Their deep, resonant roar is often the only sign of their presence. Researchers believe the population is small and confined to a specific stretch of forest. Because the animals are hunted for meat, the team hopes that official species classification will pave the way for formal legal protections.

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The internet weighs in on discovery

The announcement by @bbcnews page sparked a lively debate online, with many commenters questioning the use of the word "discovery" when local communities had long been aware of the animal's existence.

Asnina2046 said:

"I'm sure the people of Congo knew. So it's not a discovery."

Enigmamisi pointed out:

"This is not new. It's new to Europeans."

Annoyedaf added:

"Hiding makes it sound like they shouldn't be there. They're living there and known to the people of the Congo so they weren't discovered in 2008."

Stephen Murphy commented:

"It wasn't hiding. We were intruding."

Meruem shared:

"Discovering new mammals has to be one of the greatest things ever."

Melinda said:

"Known locally as means y'all didn't discover it lol."

SokkaRox wrote:

"The melanated world has moved past colonizer language. I'm sure that new species has been there for thousands of years."

3 Other Briefly News stories about monkeys

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• Patients and visitors at Dennilton Hospital’s Philadelphia section in Limpopo were left stunned after monkeys were allegedly spotted inside a hospital ward.

Source: Briefly News