Scientists have filmed a previously unknown species of colobus monkey in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo [1].

The discovery is significant because it represents one of the rarest taxonomic finds in recent history. According to primatologist Dr. Sarah Johnson, this is only the fifth new monkey species identified in Africa in the past 75 years [3].

Led by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Mbuyi, a primatologist at the University of Kinshasa, the research team captured the animal using camera traps [1, 2]. The new species has been scientifically named *Colobus congoensis* [1] and is known locally as “Likweli” [1].

The monkeys were spotted deep in the tropical rainforest of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically near the Ituri forest region [2, 4]. The animals are characterized by distinct orange facial markings, described by some reports as orange lips or orange face patches [5, 6].

“We have captured the first footage of *Colobus congoensis* in its natural habitat,” Mbuyi said [1]. He said that it is an amazing feeling to look into the face of an animal that so few people knew existed [2].

The species had evaded scientific detection until the recent deployment of camera traps, which allowed the team to document the primate's existence and begin the process of taxonomic description [1, 7]. This process confirms the animal as a new member of the *Colobus* genus [7].

“This is only the fifth new monkey species identified in Africa in the past 75 years.”

The discovery of *Colobus congoensis* highlights the critical role of remote sensing technology, such as camera traps, in documenting biodiversity in inaccessible regions. Because new primate species are rarely identified—averaging one every 15 years in Africa—this find underscores how much of the Congo Basin's ecosystem remains unexplored and potentially contains other undocumented species that require immediate conservation efforts.