Southern pygmy monkey
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Southern pygmy monkey ( Miopithecus talapoin ) |
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| Miopithecus talapoin | ||||||||||||
| ( Schreber , 1774) |
The southern pygmy monkey ( Miopithecus talapoin ) is a primate species from the family of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae). The northern populations have been listed as the northern pygmy monkey as a separate species since 1997 .
features
They differ from their northern relatives in that their ears and hairless facial skin are black and not flesh-colored. They reach a head body length of 32 to 45 centimeters and a weight of 1.1 to 1.4 kilograms and together with their northern relatives form the smallest Old World monkeys . Their fur is gray-green on the top and yellowish-white on the underside. The head is comparatively large and the muzzle short.
distribution and habitat
Southern pygmy monkeys live in Africa . Its range includes Angola and the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The Congo forms the northern limit of their range, north of which live the northern pygmy monkeys. The habitat of these animals are river forests and other forests near water.
Way of life
Many observations of the way of life of the pygmy monkeys come from the northern species, that of the southern species should largely correspond. According to this, these animals are diurnal tree dwellers, but they can also swim well. They live in large groups that split up into smaller subgroups for foraging. They are omnivores that mainly eat fruits and insects, but also other parts of plants and small animals.
Danger
The degree of endangerment of the southern pygmy monkey is unclear. The main threat is likely to be the destruction of the habitat, hunting plays no role because of the small size. The IUCN combines the two pygmy monkeys into one species and lists them as not endangered.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th Ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
