Story highlights Primates found in south-west China named in honor of Luke Skywalker

Mark Hamill is delighted 'Jungle Jedi' has been found

(CNN) A newly-discovered species of gibbon should be named in honor of Luke Skywalker, say the Star Wars-loving scientists who found it.

News about the Skywalker hoolock gibbon, which lives in forests in southwest China, was greeted with delight by actor Mark Hamill, who played the character in the films.

Hamill tweeted that he was proud to hear about the "Simian Skywalker" and "Jungle Jedi" discovered in the Gaoligong mountain forests.

A research team led by Professor Fan Pengfei from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, and including experts from the Zoological Society of London ZSL, has been studying the primates since 2008.

They already knew of two species of hoolock gibbons living in the mountain forests -- the western and eastern hoolocks.

Read More