A new monkey species named Colobus congoensis has been discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A new monkey species named Colobus congoensis has been discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

¨     A new monkey species named Colobus congoensis has been discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

¨     The species is locally known as “Likweli.”

¨     It belongs to the colobus monkeys, a group of Old World monkeys found in Africa.

¨     The species was confirmed through genetic, anatomical, and acoustic analyses.

¨     Its closest known relative is Colobus satanas.

¨     The two species are separated by a distance of more than 1,200 kilometres.

¨     Scientists estimate that the two species diverged 4–5 million years ago.

¨     The discovery was published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One on 15 July 2026.

¨     The Likweli monkey is predominantly black in colour.

¨     It has pinkish-orange lips or orange-cream patches around the mouth and nose.

¨     It has bare grey cheekbones and a white patch of fur around the anus.

¨     These physical characteristics, along with genetic and vocal evidence, helped distinguish it from other colobus monkey species.

¨     The species has a very limited distribution of about 1,700 square kilometres.

¨     It is found between the Lomami and Lilo Rivers in the Congo Basin, mainly within Lomami National Park.

¨     The first blurry photograph of the species was taken in 2008 during an expedition along the Lomami River.

¨     Clear sightings in 2018 led to a focused scientific search and eventual identification.

¨     Researchers have recommended listing the species as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

¨     The recommendation is based on its restricted range, small population, habitat loss, and hunting pressure.

¨     It is only the fifth new African monkey species discovered in the last 75 years.

¨     The discovery involved researchers from Florida Atlantic University, Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, Yale University, City University of New York, Lomami National Park, and Frankfurt Zoological Society.