NAIROBI: A giant ape unlike those already known has been found in a remote area of central Africa, and scientists believe it could be new species of primates, a news report said.

The animals, who stand over two metres tall and have similarities to both chimpanzees and gorillas, were sighted in a forest in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the British Broadcasting Corporation reported on Sunday.

Villagers in the area have said that the apes can be ferocious, and that they are capable of killing lions. The apes, who live hundred of kilometres away from known gorilla populations, have a diet similar to that of chimpanzees.

Scientists are trying to understand whether this is a formerly unknown species. Other alternatives are that the apes are giant chimpanzees, but with the behaviour of a gorilla.

Another possibility is that the sighted apes are the products of mating between gorillas and chimpanzees. Scientists plan to study the apes further, but meanwhile there are fears that the group could fall victim to poachers before their mystery is solved. -dpa