 |  |
 |    |
       | |
    | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|  Prosimians | Old World Monkeys | New World Monkeys | Lesser Apes | Great Apes Old World Monkeys Old world monkeys of Africa and Asia form the family Cercopithecinae. They are all diurnal, are generally larger than their new world cousins and exhibit different physical features. Sometimes referred to as catarrhines, these monkeys have narrow downward pointing nostrils, longer hind limbs than fore limbs, flattened nails on all digits, prominent ischial callosities (buttocks pads) and none have prehensile tails. They are divided into two subfamilies, the Cercopithecinae (cheek-pouched monkeys) and the Colobinae (leaf-eating monkeys), primarily due to dietary adaptations. Guenons, patas monkeys, mangabeys, macaques, baboons, drills, and mandrills are included in the Cercopithecinae. Molars with rounded low cusps, a deep jaw, orbits which are close together, cheek pouches, a relatively short tail, limbs the same size, and well developed thumbs distinguish the Cercopithecinae from the African Colobus and the Asian Langurs of the Colobinae. Colobines have high cusped molars, multi-chambered stomachs for fermenting leaves, widely spaced orbits, long legs, very long tails and a short or absent thumb. Old world monkeys are both arboreal and terrestrial, allowing them to inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems, utilize an array of food sources and live in variable social structures. Several members of the family, for example some baboons, langurs and macaques, are comfortable living near humans and will often raid crops. The availability of food has an enormous impact on when certain species will reproduce. In captivity vervet monkeys tend to produce offspring every two to three years, while in the wild they conceive only every five years. Threats to the survival of the old world monkeys are numerous and complex. Due to an ever-increasing human population in both Africa and Asia, heavy logging is greatly accelerating the destruction of natural habitat; Logging concessions now open up once pristine tracks of forest exposing the wildlife within. No where is this more prevalent than in West and Central Africa, where primates are currently hunted far beyond subsistence level to supply what is being called the bushmeat trade. This commercialized industry supplies both the loggers with sustenance and the markets with delicacies. The hunting of many larger bodied primates, such as guenons and colobus monkeys, is reaching disastrous proportions. Researchers have failed to locate Miss Waldron’s red colobus, not seen in twenty years and perhaps the first primate extinction in over a century. Asian primates also face considerable exploitation from hunting not only for food but to supply the popular medicinal trade; In south India, meat from the endangered lion-tailed macaque is thought to be an aphrodisiac. National and international laws protect most old world monkeys, however, few countries prosecute offenders and many fail to educate their citizens about the issue. Several groups are now working to create focused conservation strategies specific to regions and based on the various threats primates face there. Guenons Genus: Cercopithecus, Allenopithecus, Miopithecus Taxonomy: 22 Species, 43 subspecies Distribution: Congo, DRC, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Togo, Somalia Size: Head and body length: 325-700mm Weight: 1.8-12kg Appearance: Long slender body, long tail, long hind limbs, rounded head, distinctive facial patterns, some have spotted noses, short silky coat which varies in color among species Habitat: Primary lowland forest, swamp, secondary gallery, mangrove, savanna woodland, montane forest, secondary forest, abandoned farmland, primary rain forest, secondary rain forest, flooded forest, semideciduous mature forest, moist evergreen forest, coastal forest, bamboo, dry scrub forest, riparian forest Diet: Fruit, animal prey, leaves, gums, flowers, seeds, exudates, insects, shoots, mushrooms, nectar Locomotion: Quadrupedal Behavior: Diurnal, primarily arboreal, some scent mark, good swimmers, associate with other monkey species, varied social structure, groom other troop members, vocalize, some are territorial Patas Monkeys Genus: Erythrocebus Taxonomy: 1 species Distribution: Benin, Cameroon, CAR, Côte d'Ivoire, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda Size: Head and body length 490-875mm Weight: 4.0-13.0kg Appearance: Large, long slender limbs, back and sides are reddish brown, underparts are grayish white, mustached, males have bright blue scrotum, males are double the size of females Habitat: Acacia woodland, savanna Diet: Fruits, seeds, grass, animal prey, acacia tree parts Locomotion: Quadrupedal Behavior: Diurnal, primarily terrestrial, fastest primate (have been clocked at 55mph), walk on fingers instead of palms of hands, 1 male-multifemale groups, females lead the group and are territorialMangabeys Genus: Cercocebus, Lophocebus Taxonomy: 5 species, 5 subspecies Distribution: Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda Size: Head and body length: 382-888mm Weight: 4.7-21kg Appearance: Coat color varies among specie, some have crested tufts of fur on head, pale eyelids, some have webbed toes, large cheek pouches, long slender bodies Habitat: Tropical rain forest, primary and secondary dry forest, acacia woodlands, swamp, mangrove, flooded forest, gallery forest, semideciduous forest Diet: Fruit, seeds, flowers, animal prey, leaves, bark Locomotion: Quadrupedal Behavior: Terrestrial and arboreal, variable social structure but mostly multimale-mulitfemale, diurnal, associate with other monkey species, vocalize Baboons Genus: Papio, Theropithecus Taxonomy: 6 species, 4 subspecies Distribution: Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Yemmen, Angola, Kenya, DRC, Congo, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, Sudan, Tanzania Size: Head and body length: 537-857mm Weight: 14.7-28.4kg Appearance: Males usually larger than females, coarse hair, long faces with a prominent muzzle, relatively short tail, coat color varies among species, heavy body build Habitat: Montane grassland, evergreen gallery forest, woodland savanna, arid subdesert, thorn scrub, rain forest Diet: Fruits, seeds, tubers, roots, leaves, flowers, animal prey, grass Locomotion: Quadrupedal Behavior: Diurnal, terrestrial, trees or cliffs used for sleeping, spend a considerable amount of time grooming, variable social structure but mostly mulitmale-multifemale groups, complex social relationshipsMandrill and Drill Genus: Mandrillus Taxonomy: 2 species, 1 subspecies Distribution: Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Nigeria, Equitorial Guinea, Bioko Island Size: Head and body length: 560-810mm Weight: 11.5-30kg Appearance: Mandrill: Males have brightly colored snout and rump which is bright red and blue, males have an orange beard, females have duller colored snout and beard, long muzzle with ridges, males are larger than females Drill: Light to dark brown with black snout and white hair around face, naked rump which is blue to purple, long muzzle, males are larger than females, males have red mark under lower lip Habitat: Gallery, lowland rain forest, montane forest, primary and secondary forest, coastal forest Diet: Fruit, seeds, bark, leaves, stems, pith of plants, palm nuts, animal prey, roots, fungus Locomotion: Quadrupedal Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, terrestrial, vocalize Mandrill: Very large multimale-mulitfemale groups, scent mark, strict dominance hierarchy Drill: Very large 1 male-multifemale groupsColobus Genus: Colobus, Procolobus Taxonomy: 11 species, 26 subspecies Distribution: Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Togo, Angola, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Bioko Island, Gabon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, Benin, the Gambia Size: Head and body length: 466-633mm Weight: 4.2-10.9kg Appearance: Color varies among species, very long tails, slender bodies, prominent rump callosities, tiny almost non-existent thumb Habitat: Primary and secondary lowland forest, montane forest, riverine forest, wooded grassland, moist forest, swamps, deciduous gallery forest, savanna, primary and secondary rain forest, acacia woodlands, scrub, evergreen gallery forest, dry semideciduous forest Diet: Leaves, seeds, flowers, fruit, buds, shoots Locomotion: Quadrupedal, leaping Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, associate with other monkey species, most live in small social groups, varied social structure, considerable grooming, loud vocalizationsLangurs or Leaf Monkeys Genus: Presbytis, Pygathrix, Nasalis, Rhinopithecus, Semnopithecus, Trachypithecus, Simias Taxonomy: 31 species, 56 subspecies Distribution: Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Lao Peoples D. R., Cambodia, China, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Bhutan Size: Head and body length: 406-838mm Weight: 5.6-21.2kg Appearance: Coat color varies widely among species, size varies greatly among species, some species exhibit sexual dimorphism, enlarged salivary glands to help digest food Habitat: Montane forest, submontane forest, primary rain forest, secondary rain forest, swamp, mangrove, rubber plantations, teak plantations, riverine forest, Karst (limestone) forests, savanna, deciduous forest, lowland forest, scrub, gardens, bamboo, broadleaf forest, conifer forest, temperate forest, coastal nipa palm, peat swamp forest Diet: Leaves, flowers, seeds, buds, stems, fruit, fungi, animal prey, bark, soil, herbs, shoots, lichens Locomotion: Quadrupedal, leaping, hopping, running, swinging, climbing Behavior: Diurnal, arboreal, terrestrial, some vocalize loudly, greatly variable social structureMacaques Genus: Macaca Taxonomy: 20 species, 21 subspecies Distribution: Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Afganistan, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Gibraltar Size: Head and body length: 367-764mm Weight: 2.5-17.5kg Appearance: Short stocky bodies, short fur, coat color varies among species, broad faces, limbs equal length Habitat: Lowland forest, monsoon forest, dry forest, montane forest, evergreen forest, bamboo, deciduous forest, primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove, swamp, subtropical forest, subalpine forest, broadleaf forest Diet: Fruit, seeds, leaves, flowers, buds, animal prey, insects, bark, fungi Locomotion: Quadrupedal, leaping Behavior: Diurnal, terrestrial and arboreal, complex communications using vocalizations, postures, gestures and facial expressions, groom, strict dominance hierarchies, variable social structure, associate with other monkeys, some are good swimmersBack to Primate Groupings | ||||||||||||||
|
