Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Scientists find a new kind of monkey. It lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Africa. The monkey has a new name: Likweli.
The Likweli monkey is small and black. It weighs about 15 pounds. It has pink and orange skin around its mouth and nose. It also has a white patch near its tail.
The monkey lives in a rainforest. The forest is between two rivers, the Lomami River and the Lilo River. Most of the monkeys live in Lomami National Park.
Scientists first saw a strange monkey in 2008. They studied it for many years. Now they say the monkey is Endangered. This means the monkey needs help to survive.
- monkey
- a small, furry animal that lives in trees
- species
- a specific type of animal or plant
- rainforest
- a thick, green forest with a lot of rain
- endangered
- at risk of disappearing forever
- weigh
- to have a certain amount of weight
- patch
- a small area that looks different from the area around it
- discover
- to find something for the first time
- national park
- a protected area of land for nature
Level 2 — Elementary
Scientists have discovered a new species of monkey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They gave it the common name "Likweli," which comes from a word used by the Balanga people, who live near the Lomami River.
The Likweli monkey is small, black, and weighs around 15 pounds. It has a bright patch of pink and orange skin around its mouth and nose, and a white patch around its tail. The monkey also makes a low, roaring call.
This new monkey lives only in a small area of rainforest between the Lomami River and the Lilo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most of that forest is protected inside Lomami National Park. It is only the second new monkey species found near the Lomami River in the last 15 years.
Researchers first noticed an unusual monkey in photographs back in 2008. Over the following years, they recorded 114 sightings of the animal between 2018 and 2022. Because the monkey lives in such a small area and faces threats from habitat loss and hunting, scientists have proposed classifying it as Endangered.
- common name
- the everyday name people use for a plant or animal, instead of its scientific name
- vernacular
- the everyday language spoken by ordinary people in a particular place
- roaring
- a loud, deep sound
- protected
- kept safe from harm by law
- sighting
- an occasion when something is seen
- habitat loss
- the destruction of the natural home of an animal or plant
- endangered
- in danger of disappearing completely
- restricted range
- a small area where a species is found
Level 3 — Intermediate
Researchers have formally described a new species of monkey, Colobus congoensis, native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, marking only the fifth new African monkey species identified in the past 75 years. The animal has been given the common name "Likweli," a vernacular term used by the Balanga people, who inhabit the region west of the Lomami River.
Distinguished by its compact, mostly black frame, the Likweli weighs roughly 15 pounds and is instantly recognizable by a vivid patch of pinkish to orange-cream bare skin encircling its mouth and nostrils, a striking contrast against its otherwise dark face. A conspicuous white patch surrounds its anus, and the species produces a distinctive low, roaring vocalization rarely heard among its Colobus relatives.
The Likweli occupies a remarkably restricted range of lowland rainforest confined to the strip of land between the Lomami and Lilo Rivers in east-central Congo, with the majority of its habitat falling within the boundaries of Lomami National Park. Its discovery represents the second new primate species uncovered in the Lomami River region within the past fifteen years, underscoring how much biodiversity likely remains undocumented in this part of Central Africa.
The path to formally describing the species stretched back to 2008, when researchers first photographed an oddly marked monkey without immediately recognizing it as distinct. A clearer sighting a decade later prompted closer investigation, and between 2018 and 2022 scientists, including a team from Yale University, documented 114 separate observations. Citing its narrow range, ongoing habitat loss, and pressure from hunting, the researchers have recommended that Colobus congoensis be classified as Endangered.
- vernacular
- the everyday, informal language or terminology used by a particular group of people
- conspicuous
- easily noticeable or attracting attention
- encircling
- forming a circle around something
- restricted range
- a geographically narrow area within which a species is found
- biodiversity
- the variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat
- formally described
- officially documented and named according to scientific standards
- primate
- a mammal belonging to the group that includes monkeys, apes, and humans
- documented
- recorded in detail as evidence
Level 4 — Advanced
In the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, taxonomists have formally described Colobus congoensis, a newly recognized primate now bearing the common name "Likweli," borrowed from the vernacular of the Balanga people who inhabit the territory west of the Lomami River. The designation is a rare event, only the fifth African monkey species to be scientifically described in three quarters of a century, and the seventh species now recognized within the Colobus genus.
Physically, the Likweli is unmistakable among its colobine kin. A compact, predominantly black primate weighing approximately 15 pounds, it is set apart by a vivid patch of pinkish to orange-cream bare skin ringing its mouth and nostrils, an arresting contrast against an otherwise sombre face, complemented by a conspicuous white patch encircling the anus. Its vocal repertoire, too, is distinctive, marked by a low, roaring call unlike the vocalizations of related species.
The monkey's known range is strikingly circumscribed, a narrow tract of lowland rainforest wedged between the Lomami and Lilo Rivers in east-central Congo, the bulk of which lies within Lomami National Park. That such a large, visually striking mammal could remain formally undescribed until now speaks to the biological richness, and the scientific inaccessibility, of the region; it is only the second new monkey species to emerge from the Lomami basin in fifteen years.
The discovery unfolded gradually rather than in a single revelatory moment. Researchers first photographed an anomalous monkey in 2008, but it took another decade for a sharper sighting to reignite scrutiny, after which a team, including scientists from Yale University, logged 114 field observations between 2018 and 2022. Weighing the species' constricted habitat against mounting deforestation and hunting pressure, the researchers have recommended that Colobus congoensis be classified as Endangered, a designation that would place its long-term survival squarely in human hands.
- taxonomist
- a scientist who classifies and names organisms
- colobine
- relating to Colobus monkeys and their close relatives
- circumscribed
- strictly limited or confined within boundaries
- anomalous
- deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected
- deforestation
- the clearing of forests, typically for other land use
- designation
- an official classification or title assigned to something
- genus
- a taxonomic category ranking above species and below family
- inaccessibility
- the quality of being difficult to reach or access
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