New species of African monkey discovered
By Becky Crew | September 15, 2012 |
Adult male Cercopithecus lomamiensis. Credit: John Hart
Scientists have discovered a new species of monkey in central Africa that has an owl-like face and hairless blue-coloured bottom.
Terese Hart and her husband John found the monkey, named Cercopithecus lomamiensis and dubbed "lesula" by locals, after setting out to explore an unknown area of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007.
The couple's findings was published this week in the scientific journal Plos One.
They are now raising money to conserve the monkey's habitat
The species’ medium-sized frame is covered in brown fur with a distinct amber patch running down its back, and its legs and most of the length of its tail are a striking black. Its large, hooded eyes are also a deep amber. Adult males are 47–65 cm long and weigh 4–7.1 kg, while the females measure 40–42 cm and weigh 3.5–4 kg. Like C. hamlyni, the Lesula male also boasts bigger canines and bright blue skin covering the scrotum, buttocks and perineum – the area between the pubic arch and the anus – which reportedly fades to white when a Lesula is killed and its skin dried.
A hunter-killed Lesula. Its bright blue buttocks will soon fade to white. Credit: Gilbert Paluku.
....more at link
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/run ... iscovered/
