Baffling ‘Mystery Apes’ Could Be New Species

by Charlotte LoBuono

So-called "mystery apes" native to the forest deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo may represent a new species, subspecies, or even a hybrid between a chimpanzee and a gorilla, experts said recently.

The animals stand five to six feet tall and have feet that, at 14 inches long, are two inches longer than those of the average gorilla. While their bodies resemble those of gorillas, their faces are generally flatter than other apes and have the characteristics of a chimpanzee.

Scientists hope that DNA analysis being done at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska will tell them more about the genetic origins of these mysterious primates.

On her last trip to Africa, primatologist Shelley Williams collected fecal samples from the newly discovered animals to be used in genetic fingerprinting.

DNA isolated from the fecal samples is being compared to the DNA of captive gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. The analysis is expected to last more than a month.

The local people call the mystery apes "lion killers" because they are very large.

Unlike chimpanzees, who sleep in trees to avoid predators, these apes sleep in big ground nests. They do not have to worry about attracting enemies, so they hoot at the moon when it rises and sets-unusual behavior for apes.

The mystery apes consume a fruit-rich diet, similar to the diet eaten by chimpanzees.

Since the closest gorillas documented in that region of Africa live thousands of miles away, scientists think the mystery apes may be a new species that arose in isolation.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.