Diana cat
| Diana cat | ||||||||||||
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Diana Cat ( Cercopithecus diana ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cercopithecus diana | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Diana cat ( Cercopithecus diana ) is a species of primate from the genus of the monkeys ( Cercopithecus ) within the family of the vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae).
features
Most of their fur is black, the throat and front of the arms are white, and the hips and rump are orange. The dark face has black, beard-shaped hair. Their head body length varies between 40 and 55 centimeters, the tail is up to 75 centimeters long, and their weight is between four and seven kilograms.
distribution and habitat
Diana amers inhabit a small area in West Africa between Sierra Leone (for example in the Gola Rainforest National Park ) and the Ivory Coast . Their habitat are rainforests, where they are mainly in the upper area of the trees, mostly in the treetops.
Way of life
They are diurnal and live in groups. These comprise 15 to 30 animals and consist of a male, a number of females and their offspring. One group lives in an area between 0.5 and 1 square kilometers in size. The diet of these primates consists of fruits, flowers, seeds, insects and other invertebrates.
After a gestation period of around five months, the female usually gives birth to a single young. These are weaned at around six months and sexually mature at three years of age. Life expectancy in the wild is estimated at around 20 years.
threat
The threats to the Diana Common Cats include hunting and the destruction of their habitat through clearing. Due to the small size of their distribution area, they are among the threatened species, the IUCN lists them as "endangered" ( vulnerable ).
Systematics
The closest relative of the Diana monkey is the Roloway monkey , which was previously listed as its subspecies. Together they form the diana group within the genus of the monkeys ( Cercopithecus ).
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
Web links
- Photos and information on theprimata.com
- Information on the Animal Diversity Web
- Cercopithecus diana in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006 Posted by: T. Butynski & Members of the Primate Specialist Group, 2000. Retrieved on 11 May, 2006.