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In the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, scientists have uncovered a previously unknown species of monkey named Colobus congoensis. Published in PLOS One, the discovery marks only the fifth new monkey species in Africa identified in the past 75 years. Genetic and anatomical analyses confirmed it as a distinct species, separated from its closest relative by 4 to 5 million years of evolution. Found only within a small range of roughly 1,700 square kilometers, the monkey, which is mainly black with striking orange face patches confronts growing pressure from habitat loss and hunting and is being recommended for endangered conservation status.

“The discovery of Colobus congoensis is reshaping our understanding of African monkey evolution,” said Kate Detwiler, Ph.D., senior and corresponding author and an associate professor of biological sciences in ��������’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “Its closest known relative is Colobus satanas, found more than 1,200 kilometers away in west-central Africa. Yet our genetic evidence shows the two species diverged roughly 4 to 5 million years ago, marking one of the oldest known evolutionary splits within the Colobus lineage.”

Read the press release.