AI Generated Image
Meet Earth’s Newest Monkey. (And Check Out Its Orange Lips.)
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- A new species of monkey with an orange face has been officially recognized in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking only the fifth new African monkey described in the past 75 years.
- The species was first spotted in 2008 in Lomami National Park, but the initial blurry photo delayed scientific attention.
- Clearer photos taken a decade later led researchers to launch a dedicated project, funded partly by the National Geographic Society, to study and confirm the new species.
- Surveys from 2018 to 2022, including interviews with local villagers, revealed the monkey, called Likweli by the Balanga people, inhabits a small forest area about half the size of Rhode Island.
- The monkey's shy nature and limited range contribute to its rarity and the previous lack of recognition even among local communities.
