Monkey cat
| Monkey cat | ||||||||||||
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Monkey cat ( Cercopithecus mona ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cercopithecus mona | ||||||||||||
| ( Schreber , 1774) |
The Mona monkey ( Cercopithecus mona ) is a primate of the genus monkeys ( Cercopithecus ) within the family of Cercopithecidae (Cercopithecidae).
features
The fur of these animals is reddish brown on the top and white on the underside. The area around the eyes is blue-gray, the eyebrows are black, there is a white stripe on the forehead. The hair around the face is yellow, with a black stripe extending from the eyes to the ears. The ears have white tufts. They reach a head body length of 35 to 55 centimeters, a tail length of 70 to 90 centimeters and a weight of up to 4.4 kilograms (males) or 2.5 kilograms (females), so they are among the smaller species of monkey.
Distribution area and habitat
Their distribution area includes western Africa and extends from Ghana to Cameroon . A small group of these animals also lives on the Caribbean island of Grenada , where they were brought with them by slaves abducted from Africa. Their habitat is predominantly forests, where they can stay both on the trees and on the ground.
Way of life
Monkey cats are diurnal tree dwellers that live mainly in the middle and higher regions of the trees. They live in groups that are made up of a male and several females and sometimes join together to form short-lived, larger flocks of up to 50 animals. The remaining males often form bachelor groups, these are often smaller and contain only 2 to 4 animals. They communicate using sounds, facial expressions and postures.
They are omnivores, most of which feed on fruits. Compared to other monkey species, however, they eat a lot of insects and very few leaves.
After a gestation period of around five to six months, the female usually gives birth to a single young. This is weaned in the second half of life and sexually mature at 2 to 5 years.
threat
In the past, monkey cats were often kept as pets , but this practice is no longer widespread. They are sometimes persecuted as they devastate plantations. But since they can also live near humans, they are relatively common and are not endangered species.
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
Web links
- Information on Animal Diversity Web
- Information on primatis.de
- Cercopithecus mona in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006 Posted by: T. Butynski & Members of the Primate Specialist Group, 2000. Retrieved on 12 May, 2006.