Meet Likweli: The New Monkey Species with Orange Lips Found Deep in the Congo Rainforest

Scientists have formally described a new species of colobus monkey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a rare and elusive primate known locally as Likweli. With its striking orange lips, deep roaring call, and a range limited to a small patch of remote rainforest, the discovery is a landmark event in primatology. Here is everything you need to know about this new species and what it reveals about one of the planet's most biodiverse regions.

What was discovered

The new species, named Colobus congoensis, is a colobus monkey known to local Balanga communities as Likweli (also called kasaba nkoni, or "branch shaker"). It is only the fifth new African monkey species identified in the last 75 years . The discovery was published in PLOS One on July 15, 2026, based on nearly two decades of field research, camera-trap photos, anatomical examination of confiscated specimens, and analysis of its vocalizations .

Physical characteristics

• Size: Adults are small for a colobus, weighing about 15 pounds — roughly the size of a small dog .
• Coat and face: The monkey is mostly black with a vivid, striking pinkish-orange patch around the mouth and a "mask-like" facial appearance. The orange lips are its most conspicuous field mark .
• Distinctive call: It produces a deep, low roaring or croaking vocalization unlike that of any other colobus monkey known in the region .

Behavior and habitat

• The Likweli is highly arboreal, living exclusively in high, closed-canopy tropical rainforest on deep clay soils and terra firme forest islands .
• It shares its home range with two other colobine species: Piliocolobus parmentieri and Colobus angolensis .
• The species is so cryptic and rarely encountered that even local Balanga communities were largely unaware of it before the scientific work began .

Where it is found

The monkey's entire known range is confined to the remote interfluve between the Lomami and Congo (Lualaba) rivers in east-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most of the population lives within and around Lomami National Park, suggesting a very restricted distribution .

Threats and conservation status

• The study's authors propose a preliminary IUCN Red List classification of Endangered (EN) .
• The primary threats are habitat loss (deforestation and forest degradation within its limited range) and hunting. Researchers examined dead individuals confiscated from hunters to confirm the species .
• One source suggests there may be fewer than 1,000 individuals in the region . Its very limited geographic range makes it especially vulnerable to any disturbance .

What the discovery reveals about Congo Basin biodiversity

The discovery of Likweli is profoundly significant for our understanding of the Congo Basin's biodiversity:

• Still a frontier for discovery: This is the second new monkey species described from the same region in 15 years (the lesula, Cercopithecus lomamiensis, was described in 2012) .
• Survey gaps are real: The fact that a medium-sized, canopy-dwelling primate was first photographed in 2008 and only formally described in 2026 underscores how incompletely surveyed the Congo Basin's forests remain, even for relatively large mammals .
• The critical role of protected areas: The finding highlights the vital conservation value of Lomami National Park and the urgent need for protection of remote forest interfluves. These areas may harbor additional cryptic species that are threatened by encroaching deforestation and bushmeat hunting .