Green colobus monkey
| Green colobus monkey | ||||||||||||
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Green colobus monkey ( Procolobus verus ) |
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Procolobus | ||||||||||||
| Rochebrune , 1877 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Procolobus verus | ||||||||||||
| ( van Beneden , 1838) |
The green colobus monkey ( Procolobus verus ) is a primate species from the group of colobus monkeys within the family of the vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae).
description
Green colobus monkeys are the smallest and most inconspicuous colored representatives of the colobus monkeys. Their fur is olive green or brown on the upper side, the underside is gray. As with all colobus monkeys, their thumbs are receded and their feet are relatively large. The animals reach a head body length of 43 to 49 centimeters, a tail length of 57 to 64 centimeters and a weight of 2.9 to 4.4 kilograms.
Distribution and habitat
Green colobus monkeys are native to western Africa, their range extends from Sierra Leone to Benin , a small isolated population can be found at Apoi Creek in the western Niger Delta in Nigeria . Their habitat is forests, both swamp and secondary forests .
Way of life
These animals are diurnal tree dwellers who usually stay in the trees at heights of over 10 meters. They live in groups of 5 to 20 (mostly 10 to 15) animals, which are made up of a male, several females and their offspring. They often socialize with vervet monkeys and are extremely quiet animals for primates, which in connection with their camouflage color serves to protect against predators.
The animals' diet consists of young leaves, buds and flowers.
Reproduction
After a gestation period of around five to six months, the female usually gives birth to a single young. Green colobus monkeys are the only dry- nosed monkeys that the young animals carry around in their mouths, a behavior that is seen more often in wet-nosed monkeys . The animals become sexually mature after three to six years.
threat
Although they are threatened by hunting and the destruction of their habitat, green colobus monkeys are even more common than other colobus monkey species. The IUCN lists them as low risk, which is out of date.
Systematics
Today the green colobus monkey is usually the only representative of the genus Procolobus . The red colobus monkeys , which were previously also classified in this genus, are now considered a separate genus, Piliocolobus .
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- Photo at Primate Info Net
- Procolobus verus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Primate Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 7 June of 2008.