[Faline]

A new species of monkey has been identified in Africa, researchers have said.

The species, known locally as the Lesula, was discovered after a young female was seen being kept captive at the home of a primary school director in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007.

The young animal resembled an owl-faced monkey, but its colouring was different to that of any known species, the researchers writing in the journal PLoS ONE said.

Other wild Lesula have since been found in a remote range in central Democratic Republic of Congo, where they live in forests and feed on leaf stalks, fruit and flower buds.

The discovery of the new species, in one of the country's last unexplored forest areas, is only the second time a new monkey species has been found in Africa in the last 28 years.

Although the 6,500 square mile area in which the shy Lesula is found is remote and sparsely populated, the researchers warn the monkey is vulnerable to extinction as a result of hunting.

They called for controls on hunting and the creation of a protected area covering its range to conserve the Lesula and other wildlife found in the region.

Researcher John Hart said: "The challenge for conservation now in Congo is to intervene before losses become definitive.

"Species with small ranges like the Lesula can move from vulnerable to seriously endangered over the course of just a few years."

[DannyDrama]

Holy shit, those eyes! I'll take 2.

[obravo]

That face!

[Kadavar]

What the hell i actually let a lil "aww, that's cute!!" out.

[Creepy]

very neat.

[DiamondSmiles]

It is cute with pretty eyes, but, it doesn't look real to me. It looks kind of human.

[kellyhound]

cool and interesting.

For three years, Hart worked with geneticists and anthropologists as he labored to determine whether the monkey actually belonged to a previously unclassified species.

"I knew it was important to have a collaborative team of experts," he said.

Eventually an ancient, common genetic ancestry was linked between the Lesula and the Owl Face monkey.

Scientists at New York University and Florida Atlantic University say they believe the species' split may have occurred after a series of rivers broke apart the animal's natural habitat.

[chefbob09]

soon to be bush meat

[michmi]

I love this monkey's face!

[güttsfükk]

looks stoned to me