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colobus
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What is a colobus monkey?
Colobus monkeys are active, tree-dwelling primates native to Africa. They belong to the Old World monkey family, Cercopithecidae, and the Colobinae subfamily. The three types of colobus monkeys, distinguished by color, are black-and-white colobus (genus Colobus), red colobus (genus Piliocolobus), and olive colobus (genus Procolobus).
These monkeys are known for their long tails and remarkable leaping abilities between trees. Colobus monkeys have complex stomachs that allow them to ferment a vegetarian diet. Though they are called leaf-eating monkeys, they also eat flowers, fruit, and seeds, depending on the season.
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Where do colobus monkeys live?
Colobus monkeys are native to eastern, central, and western Africa. They are Old World monkeys that live throughout Africa, on the Red Sea coast of Arabia, and in Asia from Afghanistan to Japan and southeast to the islands of the Philippines, Celebes, Bacan, and Timor. Black-and-white colobus monkeys dwell in East African mountains, including Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. Red colobus monkeys are abundant in many regions, but they are vulnerable where their forest habitat is altered. Olive colobus monkeys live in West Africa, where they are quiet, secretive, and seldom seen.
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What do colobus monkeys look like?
Colobus monkeys, native to Africa, are active during the day and known for leaping between trees. They are generally gregarious monkeys with long tails.
There are three genera of colobus monkeys, distinguished by color:
* Black-and-white colobus (genus Colobus)
* Red colobus (genus Piliocolobus)
* Olive colobus (genus Procolobus)Black-and-white colobus monkeys have long, silky fur, with young that are white at birth. Red colobus monkeys are brown or black with red markings. The olive colobus is a small monkey with short olive-colored fur. All colobus monkeys are more or less thumbless.
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What do colobus monkeys eat?
Colobus monkeys, part of the subfamily Colobinae, are not exclusively leaf eaters. While they are often referred to as "leaf-eating monkeys," their diet varies with the seasons.
Colobines have complex stomachs that allow bacterial fermentation of cellulose and hemicellulose, enriching the nutrient content of their diet, which consists partially of leaves and seeds. They also eat flowers, fruits, and, in some cases, seeds.
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How do colobus monkeys move and behave in the trees?
Colobus monkeys are native to Africa and live in trees, moving with long leaps between branches during the day. They are social monkeys, dwelling in groups.
There are a few distinctions in movement and behavior among the three types of colobus monkeys:
* Black-and-white colobus monkeys live in small groups. Males mark their territory with loud calls and vigorous leaping displays.
* Red colobus monkeys live in larger troops and are not territorial. They don't have loud calls or dramatic displays.
* Langurs and colobus monkeys move quadrupedally but also jump across gaps and swing by their arms.3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why are colobus monkeys important in their ecosystems?
Colobus monkeys, native to Africa, play a crucial role in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and herbivores. As seed dispersers, they aid in forest regeneration by consuming fruits and distributing seeds throughout their habitat. Their herbivorous diet, consisting of leaves, fruits, and flowers, helps regulate plant growth and maintain the balance of vegetation.
Different species of colobus monkeys include the black-and-white colobus, red colobus, and olive colobus. Each group contributes to the ecosystem in its own way, with varying social structures and resilience to habitat changes. Though they are primarily vegetarian, they may eat insects on occasion. Their presence supports biodiversity and keeps the environment healthy.
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colobus, any of some two dozen species of long-tailed tree-dwelling and generally gregarious monkeys native to eastern, central, and western Africa. Colobus monkeys are active during the day and are able to make long leaps between trees. The three genera of colobus are all more or less thumbless and can be distinguished by colour: black-and-white colobus (genus Colobus), red colobus (genus Piliocolobus), and olive colobus (genus Procolobus).
The three genera of colobus monkeys are classified in the subfamily Colobinae, which also includes leaf monkeys such as langurs. All Colobinae have complex stomachs adapted to fermenting a vegetarian diet. Colobinae is a subfamily of Old World monkeys (family Cercopithecidae).
Black-and-white colobus species
The seven species of black-and-white colobus are slender, with long silky fur. Although the black colobus (C. satanas) is completely black, the other four species are partially white. The young are white at birth. The best-known species is the Abyssinian colobus, or mantled guereza (C. guereza), of the East African mountains, including Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. The likweli (C. congoensis), which was discovered in Lomami National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2026, is known for its orange lips.
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This colobus has a long beautiful veil of white hair along each flank and a long white brush on the tail. The pelts are valued by native populations as ornaments, and at one time European demand for the fur was so great that large numbers of these monkeys were slaughtered annually. Black-and-white colobus are about 55–60 cm (22–24 inches) long, with a tail that is significantly longer than the body. Adult females weigh about 8 kg (18 pounds), adult males 9.5 to 10 kg (about 21 to 22 pounds). They live in small groups of 1 or 2 males and 3 to 10 females. Each group lives in a territory in the trees, which the males mark by a “jumping-roaring display” consisting of a loud rattling call accompanied by a vigorous display of leaping about and dropping from tree crown to lower branches.
Red colobus and olive colobus species
The 17 species of red colobus are colored brown or black with red markings. Each species is about half a meter (1.6 feet) long, excluding the 40–80-cm (about 16–31-inch) tail. In large species, such as the bay colobus (Piliocolobus badius) of West Africa, both sexes average 8 to 8.5 kg (17.6 to 18.7 pounds), though the Zanzibar red colobus (P. kirkii) weighs only 5.5 kg (12.1 pounds). Unlike black-and-white colobus, red colobus tend to live in large troops sometimes numbering 60 or more, with each troop including several adult males. Red colobus are not territorial, and they do not have such loud calls or dramatic displays. In many regions they are extremely abundant, but, where their forest habitat has been altered by logging or fire, they are much less resilient than black-and-white colobus. Several races of the red colobus are endangered, and some subspecies of red colobus have apparently become extinct since the middle of the 20th century. The other colobus species are declining in population and are variously listed as vulnerable or rare.
The olive colobus (Procolobus verus) is a small monkey, weighing only 4.5 kg (9.9 pounds), with short olive-coloured fur. It lives in West Africa, where it is not especially rare but is very quiet and secretive and therefore seldom seen. Neither red nor olive colobus survive very long in captivity.
Red and olive colobus share an unusual feature not seen among black-and-white colobus. Like some other Old World monkeys, the females have very large periodic swellings around the sex organs, but, uniquely, the subadult males also develop swellings, and these exactly mimic those of the female. It is thought that the swellings allow young males to remain in the troop without being evicted by adult males, as their so-called perineal organ is lost with maturity.
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