The lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis ) is a species of Old World monkey in the guenon family, found in the Lomami Basin of the Congo. Though known to locals, it was unknown to the international scientific community until it was discovered in 2007 and confirmed in a 2012 publication. The lesula is the second new species of African monkey to be discovered since 1984. This monkey is described to have human looking eyes and a blue bottom “And adult males have a huge bare patch of skin in the buttocks, testicles and perianal area,” said John A. Hart, the researcher who described the monkey. “It’s a brilliant blue, really pretty spectacular.”
The species was listed among the Top 10 New Species 2013 discovered in 2012 as selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University out of more than 140 nominated species. Its distinctiveness is its human-like eyes, genital area and booming dawn chorus. The selection was declared on 22 May 2013.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe lesula is a species of Old World monkey in the guenon family. It is the second new species of African monkey that was discovered since 1984. This monkey is described to have human looking eyes and a blue bottom. Lesulas have blond fur on their chest, throat and chin. The rest parts of their body has black fur fading into silver-grey tones on the thighs. Their slender tails are amber in color, darkening to black closer the tip. The face, ears and eyelids of these monkeys are naked and range from pink-grey to tan.
Lesulas are found in the Lomami Basin of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the 2007 specimen found in captivity in the village of Opala. These monkeys live in rainforests, ranging between the Lomami and Tshuapa rivers in the central part of the country.
Lesulas are shy and semi-arboreal creatures. They travel and rest on the ground and in the tree canopy. They travel alone or in groups of 5 or fewer members or in small multi-species assemblages with other primates. Lesulas are diurnal, which means that they are active during the day and sleep at night. These monkeys communicate vocally, and usually can be heard around dawn, from 05:45 to 06:30 in the morning. During the rest of the day they are usually quiet.
Lesulas are herbivores (frugivores, folivores). They feed on different fruits, leaves, and flowers of arrowroot plants.
Little is known about the mating system in Lesulas. Females give birth to a single infant after the gestation period that lasts around 5-6 months.
Currently, there no major threats to this species. However, these animals are vulnerable to hunting for bushmeat.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Lesula total population size. Currently, this species is Not Evalueted (NE) on the IUCN Red List.
As frugivorous animals, Lesulas act as key seed dispersers of many local plants.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...