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Animals & Environment

New Colourful Monkey Discovered in African Rainforest

24 Jul 2026

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NEW

Colobus congensis, known locally as Likweli, has a dramatic black face with pinkish-orange lips. (Junior Amboko)

Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It

WARM UP

Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?


a) A monkey with bright orange lips


b) A monkey that can swim underwater


c) A monkey that lives in a snowy mountain


Ask: 


(1) Do you like monkeys? 


(2) What colours are typical for monkeys?

VOCABULARY 

monkey

noun / ˈmʌŋki /

 

forest

noun / ˈfɒrɪst /

 

black

adjective / blæk /

 

orange

adjective / ˈɒrɪndʒ /

 

small

adjective / smɔːl /

 

sound

noun / saʊnd /

An animal with a long tail that lives in trees.

Express: The clever monkey climbed the tall tree to get a banana.

 

A large area of land covered with many trees.

Express: We walked quietly through the dark forest and saw some birds.

 

The colour of coal or the night sky.

Express:  cat has beautiful black fur that shines in the sun.

 

A bright colour made by mixing red and yellow.

Express:  painted a beautiful orange flower on the card.

 

Not large in size or amount.

Express:  small bird made a nest in the garden.

 

Something that you can hear with your ears.

Express:  we heard a loud sound coming from the kitchen.

Scientists found a new monkey in Africa. Its home is a large forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Local people call this special animal Likweli. The little monkey has a very beautiful look. It has glossy black fur and a long tail. The most amazing thing is its face. It has bright orange lips that look like a colourful mask.


The Likweli monkey is small and weighs about fifteen pounds. It loves to live high up in the green trees. These monkeys live together in small families. They are very quiet and hard to find. However, they sometimes make a very deep roaring sound in the forest.


Scientists say this monkey is rare and needs our help. They want to protect its forest home so the colourful monkeys can stay safe.

Listen
00:00 / 00:54

An illustration of Colobus congensis, whose common name is the local vernacular name, Likweli. (Kimio Honda)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Would you like to see a Likweli monkey in real life? 


2. Why do you think the monkey lives high up in the trees? 


3. What makes the Likweli monkey special compared to other monkeys? 


4. Why is it important to protect wild animals and their forest homes? 


5. How would you describe the face of this new monkey to a friend? 


6. What other animals live in a dense African rainforest?

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FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps


Word Bank: black, forest, monkey, orange


Scientists found a new _______(1) in Africa. Its home is a large _______(2) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Local people call this special animal Likweli. The little monkey has a very beautiful look. It has glossy black fur and a long tail. The most amazing thing is its face. It has bright _______(3) lips that look like a colourful mask.

The Likweli monkey is small and weighs about fifteen pounds. It loves to live high up in the green trees. These monkeys live together in small families. They are very quiet and hard to find. However, they sometimes make a very deep roaring _______(4) in the forest.

Scientists say this monkey is rare and needs our help. They want to protect its forest home so the colourful monkeys can stay safe.



Section 2: Main Idea


Which sentence best describes the main idea of the story?


a) Local hunters love to find wild animals in the trees.


b) Scientists have found a rare new monkey with orange lips in Africa.


c) Small monkeys always live in large families in the Congo.

UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False


1. The monkey lives in a large city. T/F


2. The Likweli monkey has bright orange lips. T/F


3. This monkey is very easy to find. T/F



Section 4: Put Events in Order


Put the following events in the correct order from 1 to 3:


A. Scientists say the monkey is rare and needs protection.


B. Scientists find a new monkey species in Africa.


C. Local people name the monkey Likweli.

LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match 


1. monkey 


2. forest 


3. orange 


4. small

 


a) A large area filled with trees 


b) A colour made by mixing red and yellow 


c) Not big in size 


d) An animal with a long tail that lives in trees

USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder


1. I think the Likweli monkey is beautiful because it has _______ lips.


a) blue

b) orange

c) green



2. The monkey lives high up in the _______ so it is safe.


a) rivers

b) trees

c) houses



Section 7: Sentence Unscramble


Unscramble the words to make complete sentences:


1. A) found B) a C) new D) monkey E) Scientists


2. A) has B) black C) fur D) It E) glossy

ANSWER KEY

Section: Warm Up Answer: a


Section 1: Fill in the Gaps

  1. monkey

  2. forest

  3. orange

  4. sound

Section 2: Main Idea Answer: b


Section 3: True or False

  1. False

  2. True

  3. False

Section 4: Put Events in Order Correct Order: B, C, A


Section 5: Vocab Match

  1. d

  2. a

  3. b

  4. c

Section 6: Discussion Builder

  1. b

  2. b

Section 7: Sentence Unscramble

  1. Scientists found a new monkey.

  2. It has glossy black fur.

Section 8: Discussion Questions Student responses will vary.

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