Undated images released by the Public Library of Science and available Thursday, Sept. 13 2012 show a captive adult male Cercopithecus hamlyni, left, and an adult male Cercopithecus lomamiensis, right. (AP Photo/Public Library of Science)
Updated: Thursday, 13 Sep 2012, 11:11 AM CDT
Published : Thursday, 13 Sep 2012, 9:58 AM CDT
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A team of scientists says it has identified a new species of monkey in central Africa that had been known to the locals simply as lesula, a medium sized, slender animal that looks similar to an owl-faced monkey already known to scientists.
In findings published this week in the scientific journal Plos One, the researchers identified the new species as Cercopithecus lomamiensis, which is endemic to the lowland rainforests of central Congo.
This is only the second time in the past 28 years that a species of monkey has been discovered, they said, highlighting the importance of preserving biodiversity in central Africa where forests are threatened by illegal logging.
Scientists began investigating after seeing a young female monkey of unknown species at the home of a school director.
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