Only found in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the lesula monkey was first described by scientists in 2012.
Across the region, shifting cultivation and charcoal production are the primary drivers of deforestation, while the commercial bushmeat trade is hitting wildlife hard. The DRC, which contains more than half of all the Congo Basin’s primary rainforest, has theAn adult lesula monkey eating a snack on the forest floor. The lesula are extremely shy and cryptic, but by using camera traps set to video mode, researchers were able to collect data on the lesula’s behavioural ecology.
The researchers were also wary of habituating the lesula because the monkeys are threatened by hunting. Habituation would make lesulas lose their natural fear of humans and put them at greater risk of being killed. Junior Amboko setting a camera trap in the TL2 Landscape in central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Amboko says that despite the logistical difficulties, camera traps are a fantastic tool, and have helped researchers gain new information on cryptic rainforest species. Image courtesy of Junior Amboko
The videos also revealed that lesulas live in larger groups than previously thought, of up to 32 individuals. Family groups are usually composed of one adult male, numerous females and their young, while males are also found alone or in bachelor groups. However, the authors note that the average group size recorded by the cameras was smaller. This could be because the cameras only recorded animals in front of the lens, and more research is needed.