Red Colobus Monkey an old unique Monkey in Uganda.
The Red Colobus Monkey are also a group of old world monkeys, From the;
- Kingdom : Animalia
- Phylum : Chordata
- Class : Mammalia
- Order : Primates
- Family : Cercopithecidae
- Genus: Procolobus
This is how you can easily identify a red colobus monkey,
Red colobus monkey has a rust red cap on the head with a dark grey to black face.
The body coat colour ranging from black to dark grey through to a reddish brown. The sides of the body, the arms and legs are light grey and has a very long dark to light brown tail which it relies on for balancing when climbing and leaping through the forests.
The hands and feet are dark grey to black and feet are very long which helps them leap through large distances. Like Black and White Colobus monkey, Red colobus thumbs are so reduced and absent.
The male and female may look to be of the same size but they actually don’t weigh same . An adult male is close to 10 kilograms (22 pounds) while a female weighs approximately 7 kilograms (15 pounds).
You will at many times see troops/cartloads of these monkeys because they do associate in a few groups but with many of them in there. A troupe can at most have more than 80 animals and at least when few, the number covers 20 to 40 animals.
They are arboreal and diurnal, that is to say; they are tree dwelling and very active during day time.
Troops consists of both males and females. Females tend to disperse to any other groups so easily and are attracted to groups which contain a higher number of males. Males protect the troops and have a wide range of specialized sounds they use to communicate different messages with different meanings, for example; calls for mating, warning members of any possible dangers. Grooming is a social behavior amongst the individuals of the troops.
The diet of Red Colobus includes; leaves, shoots, flowers and unripe fruits.
Their stomachs are able to digest some toxic plants that other primates cannot. Red colobus monkeys are extraordinarily adapted to their entirely vegetarian and widely varied diet.
They are mainly hunted by leopards, Chimpanzees, Crowned Eagles. Human settlements has also been a big threat to their habitat.
Due to the fact that the reproduction must occur, Females undergo a Gestation period of 6 months and usually a single offspring is put to life. Both males and females take care of the infants but the infant will mostly be under the care of its mother. Mother-infant bonds among the red colobus are quite strong, as they are with most primates.
The mother takes responsibility of grooming and protecting her baby till they are few to stand and live of their own. Female will keep in the same group with their mothers for a very long time even when they reach age where they can stand on their own. These monkeys have a Lifespan of 20 years.
In Uganda the Red Colobus monkeys are seen in Kibale Forest National Park and Semliki National Park.
