Meet the “lesula,” a new monkey species discovered in Africa. According to scientists, this is the first found in 28 years. Scientists learned of the monkey after a juvenile female “lesula” was being kept in a cage by a primary school director in the town of Opala. “Lesula” is a common name used by local hunters. The had discovered the primate in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The discovery was published in the online journal Public Library of Science. The formal description of the species describes their distinctive facial features: “A mane of long grizzled blond hairs frames a protruding pale, naked face and muzzle, with a variably distinct cream-coloured vertical nose stripe.” Genetic analysis identified the species as a member of the guenon group of Old World monkeys. The scientific name is now Cercopithecus lomamiensis after the nearby Lomami River.
