An international team of scientists has officially described a previously unknown monkey species hiding deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo — only the fifth new African monkey species to be discovered in the last 75 years.
The primate, known to local communities as Likweli, has been given the scientific name Colobus congoensis in recognition of the country where it was found. It lives in the remote canopy of dense tropical forest in Lomami National Park, a protected area in the central-east of the DRC.
Conservationists first spotted the unusual-looking animal in 2008, but the only evidence was a single blurry photograph. It was not until 2018, after a second confirmed sighting, that an international research team from the DRC, the United States, and Germany launched a formal investigation.
"It was an amazing feeling to look into the face of an animal that so few people knew existed," said Junior Amboko, a PhD student at Florida Atlantic University who played a central role in the search. The team used audio recordings, high-resolution photography, and detailed genetic analysis to confirm that the monkey represents a genuinely new species — genetically distinct from every other known primate.
The Likweli is unmistakable once seen. Its fur is a deep, glossy black, and its face is dark, but it is immediately recognizable by a striking pair of pinkish-orange lips unlike those of any other colobus monkey. Professor Kate Detwiler, also from Florida Atlantic University, speculates that this unusual colouration may serve a social purpose — helping individuals identify each other, or attracting potential mates, in the shadowy depths of the rainforest.
The monkey also has a resonant, roaring call that often announces its presence before the animal itself can be seen. "You often hear them, but you don't see them," Amboko recalled. The species is notably shy and tends to remain high in the forest canopy — a trait that, alongside its restricted range, has kept it hidden from scientists for so long.
When the research team surveyed 52 villages near the monkey's habitat, only eight of them included residents who had ever set eyes on the animal. Its extreme wariness around humans has helped protect it from detection, but also makes studying it a considerable challenge.
Like all colobus monkeys, Colobus congoensis is a thumbless herbivore that lives almost entirely in the treetops. Professor Detwiler believes the species plays a vital ecological role in the forest as a seed disperser, contributing to germination and forest regeneration. "These are really important African monkeys," she said. "We think they have a lot to do with processing seeds and germination in the forest."
Now that the species has been formally described and given a scientific name, the researchers hope it will qualify for legal protection. The Likweli is currently hunted for bushmeat, and without formal classification it cannot be protected under existing wildlife laws. Formal recognition changes that.
Further surveys are planned to estimate the species' total population, map its full range, and better understand its behaviour. The discovery is a powerful reminder of how much remains to be learned from the Congo Basin — one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth — and of the urgent importance of protecting it.
