Known as lesula or by its scientific name, Cercopithecus lomamiensis, this new monkey looks extremely unique compared to most monkeys.
What I found amusing was that the researchers first discovery of the monkey came from a schoolgirl who had the monkey as a pet.
At first glance, what caught my attention was not the strange coloring of the monkey. But rather the expression on his face. It looked so remarkably human to me, I nicknamed it, "the thoughtful monkey".
It's huge human-like eyes along with its narrow nose and slit of a mouth, made it resemble a creature you'd see in an animated movie/show, and it definitely caught my attention.
Another unique quality of the monkey was its coloring as I mentioned before. The chin of this monkey is a light-blond color unlike the rest of its darker body. And the most unique aspect of its coloring is the blue patch of skin found on its buttocks. This patch is present on adult males of the species.
These monkeys were found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and tend to stay in areas where no human settlement is present. They may become at risk due to bush-meat hunting, however.
Hopefully, we won't have to worry about the newly discovered lesula already becoming endangered. I placed a picture below of the expression I mentioned earlier. May there be many more lesulas roaming the forest to come!
Author's Note: Photograph taken by Maurice Emetshu
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/science/a-new-kind-of-monkey-with-colors-that-set-it-apart.html
