Red colobus

West African red colobus ( Piliocolobus badius )

The red colobus ( Piliocolobus ) are a primate genus from the group of colobus monkeys in the family Cercopithecidae ( Cercopithecidae ).

Description

Red colobus monkeys usually have a black or brown coat on his back, arms, legs and head are red or grayish. The underside of her body is reddish yellow to gray or white. Some species have white hair around her head. The females are smaller than males, but see the rest the same. Like all colobus monkeys they are characterized by the lack of thumb, which is an adaptation to arboreal life. The animals reach a body length 45-67 inches, the tail is 52-80 inches long, and its weight is 5 to 11 kg.

Distribution and habitat

Red colobus monkeys are spread over the central Africa, their range extends from Senegal on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Tanzania. Its habitat are rain and swamp forest, sometimes wooded savannas, mostly they keep to near water.

Way of life

These animals are diurnal and arboreal, the jump in search of food as skilled acrobats from tree to tree. They form large groups of 20 to 80 ( average 50) animals, which consist of several males and about two to three times as many females. Within the group, they establish a strong hierarchy, which is reflected in preferential access to food and sleeping places precedence during mating. They are less territorial, but have given the larger groups and larger areas (up to about 100 acres ) than black-and- white colobus monkeys.

The food of these animals consists mainly of young leaves, fruits, seeds, stems and other plant parts.

Reproduction

Red colobus monkeys are likely to have no specific breeding season, it may come throughout the year to mate. The gestation period is around 4.5 to 5.5 months, then usually one young is born. In contrast to the black-and- white colobus monkeys only the birth, and not other females for rearing the young is responsible. After a gestation period of 4 to 6 months the mother brings a young one, the raising them alone until it is weaned after 9 to 12 months.

Threat

Due to the progressive destruction of their habitat and hunting for their meat are all kinds of red colobus monkeys among the endangered animals.

System

The systematics within the Colobus is not entirely clear. While the red colobus monkeys were previously calculated with the Green colobus monkeys in the genus Procolobus, they are now usually performed as a separate genus Piliocolobus. The number of species is unclear, as many subspecies are sometimes run as an independent species. Wilson & Reeder (2005) distinguish the following nine types:

• The West African red colobus ( Piliocolobus badius ) lives in West Africa ( from Senegal to Ghana).
• The Central African Colobus ( P. foai ) is located in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries.
• The Udzungwa Red Colobus ( P. gordonorum ) lives in the Udzungwa Mountains and adjacent areas in Tanzania.
• The red colobus ( P. kirkii ) is endemic to the archipelago of Zanzibar.
• The Pennant 's red colobus ( P. pennantii ) is used in three subspecies in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo.
• The Tana Red Colobus ( P. rufomitratus ), which inhabits only a small area along the River Tana in Kenya, is considered to be threatened with extinction.
• The Ugandan Red Colobus ( P. tephrosceles ) is based in Uganda and neighboring countries.
• The Thollon Colobus ( P. tholloni ) lives in the central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Colin P. Groves rose 2007, two subspecies of Pennant colobus monkeys in the rank of separate species, the Bouvier Colobus ( Piliocolobus bouvieri ) and the Niger Delta red colobus ( Piliocolobus epieni ).