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| Latin name | Colobus guereza |
| Head & Body Length | 46-70cm (18-28 inches) |
| Tail Length | up to 81cm (31 inches) |
| Weight | 6.5-14.5kg (14-32lb) |
| Gestation | 4-6 months |
| No. of young | 1 |
| Lifespan | about 20 years |
Colobus monkeys are found in Central Africa from Nigeria to Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. They live in forests and are usually found in the tops of the trees.
The majority of a colobus monkey’s diet consists of leaves. However, they do also eat fruit, bark, flowers and occasionally, insects. They sunbathe in the early morning and then later feed in the lower levels of the trees. Colobus monkeys may be seen travelling on the ground when they are searching for aquatic plants to eat.
When feeding, the monkey will sit on a branch and pull twigs towards it, ripping off the leaves with its mouth.
The female will mate with several different males when she is on heat and they usually breed all year round. She will leave the group one day before she gives birth and will then return with her small offspring. The black and white colobus monkey is born with a completely white coat.
For the first few days she has to hold the baby in her arms, but after two weeks the baby is strong enough to cling to its mother’s back.
Colobus monkeys have long, smooth, shiny fur all over their body. Adult monkeys also have long tails, which can measure up to 31 inches long.
They live in groups of three to fifteen monkeys and each group is led by an old male. Each group has its own territory, which is defended by threatening calls and a fierce display of its striking coat.
Colobus monkeys have long and well-muscled hind legs, which help them to leap between, or bound along branches. Colobus are capable of making great leaps in excess of 6m from one tree to another.
The animals are active in the day, with a period of rest or grooming at midday. They can run and leap with amazing agility, so they rarely need to descend to the ground. They also have long fingers, which help them to move quickly through the trees.
The black and white colobus monkey uses its coat as a camouflage. Instead of running away from a predator, the colobus will hide.
The beautiful fur of the colobus monkey was once used as ceremonial head dresses by the African tribes. In the 19th century, there was a big demand for monkey furs in Europe. Skins are still used for trimming coats and dresses or made into circular rugs or wall hangings. This has had a devastating effect on the colobus population. Although hunting has largely ceased, the monkeys are still under threat from man as he is destroying their habitat.
On the busy roads of Kenya, colobus monkeys are hit, injured and often killed by speeding vehicles. Others are electrocuted as they jump on uninsulated power cables that cross patches of forest. Special ‘ colobridges’ are being built to help save the lives of these monkeys and many other primates.
- According to Arab legend, a colobus monkey would rip its skin when injured, rather then letting a hunter get hold of it.
- The name ‘colobus’ comes from a Greek word that means mutilated. This is a reference to the fact that they have no thumbs.
- African legend refers to the colobus as the messengers of the gods. This is probably because some of them climb to the tops of the trees at sunrise and sit silently, as if in prayer.
- The colobus monkeys can use their long, silky hair as a parachute to slow it down when jumping from tree to tree.