Black-and-white colobus
Black-and-white Colobus[1] | |
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Mantled Guereza (Colobus guereza) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Family: | Cercopithecidae |
Subfamily: | Colobinae |
Genus: | Colobus Illiger, 1811 |
Type species | |
Simia
polycomos Schreber, 1800 (= Cebus polykomos Zimmermann, 1780) | |
Species | |
Colobus
satanas |
Black-and-white colobus are Old World monkeys of the genus Colobus, native to Africa, and are closely related to the red colobus monkeys of genus Piliocolobus.[1] The word "colobus" comes from Greek ekolobóse "he cut short" and is so named because its thumb is a stump.
Baby colobus are born completely white. Colobus are herbivorous, eating leaves, fruit, flowers, and twigs. The habitat of a colobus includes primary and secondary forest, riverine forest, and wooded grasslands; they are found at higher density logged forests more so than other primary forests. Their ruminant-like digestive systems have enabled these leaf-eaters to occupy niches that are inaccessible to other primates. Colobus live in territorial groups of approximately 9 individuals, based upon a single male with a number of females and their offspring. There are documented cases of "allo" mothering, which means members of the troop other than the infant's biological mother care for it.
Colobus are important for seed dispersal through their sloppy eating habits as well as through their digestive system. In addition, they are prey for many forest predators. Colobus struggle from the bushmeat trade, logging, and habitat destruction.
There are five species of this monkey, with at least eight subspecies:[1]
- Genus Colobus
- Black Colobus,
Colobus satanas
- Gabon Black Colobus, Colobus satanas anthracinus
- Bioko Black Colobus, Colobus satanas satanas
- Angola Colobus,
Colobus angolensis
- Colobus angolensis angolensis
- Colobus angolensis cottoni
- Adolf Friedrich's Angola Colobus or Ruwenzori Black-and-white Colobus, Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii
- Colobus angolensis cordieri
- Prigogine's Angola Colobus, Colobus angolensis prigoginei
- Peter's Angolan Colobus or Tanzanian Black-and-white Colobus, Colobus angolensis palliatus
- King Colobus, Colobus polykomos
- Ursine Colobus, Colobus vellerosus
- Mantled Guereza, Colobus guereza or Abyssinian Black-and-white Colobus [2]
- Black Colobus,
Colobus satanas
References
- ^ a b c Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 167-168. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Wolfheim, J.H. (1983) Primates Of The World: Distribution, Abundance And Conservation Routledge ISBN 3718601907
External links
- Colobus Monkey: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation
- Primate Info Net Colobus Factsheets
- 'Angolan Colobus' Factsheets
- Animal Bytes