Black and White Colobus Monkey
(Colobus guereza)
Habitat
Guereza
monkeys are found in a diversity of habitats including primary and secondary
deciduous forest, montane forest, lowland swamp, coastal forest, moist
savanna and gallery forest.
Head
and Body Length
18-28
inches (46-71 cm)
Tail
Length
20-40 inches (51-101 cm)
Weight
17-32 pounds (7.6-14.5 kg)
Life
Span
In the wild: up to 20 years
At the zoo: up to 30 years
Diet
In
the wild:Leaves,
stems, bark, flowers, buds, shoots, fruits and some aquatic plants. In
one study area, young leaves of the hackberry tree (Celtis durandii) are
the food of choice for guereza monkeys.
At
the zoo: Monkey chow and a leafy diet with daily browse
(herbaceous plants).
Reproduction
Guerezas
have no known breeding season. In the wild, females reach sexual maturity
by age 5 and males by age 8. Females initiate courtship by tongue smacking.
The gestation period is approximately six months. Females give birth
to an average of one offspring every 20 months. Infants are born with
eyes open, weighing about 0.9 pound (0.4 kg) and will occasionally cling
to the mother's waist like a belt.
More often the mother carries them higher, using one arm to secure them
while they are very young. Mothers will allow other females in their
troop to handle and sometimes even suckle their infants soon after birth.
Offspring are born with "natal fur" which is fluffy and white. From 4
to 12 months the infant will acquire adult coloring. Adults are glossy
black with a white U-shaped mantle of fur on the back and a white tip
on the tail. Adults also have a ring of white fur around their faces.
Life Cycle
Guerezas usually
live in groups of three to 15 individuals. Groups are made up of one
adult male (rarely two) and females with offspring. Females' troop
membership is stable but males must earn their status. Young males
are forced by the lead male to leave their natal troop before breeding
age. Lead males are occasionally ousted by young mature males that
grew up with them or moved in from an outside troop. Intragroup relationships
are usually friendly and reinforced with lots of grooming. Troop home
ranges are about 35-74 acres (15-30 ha). Guerezas defend their ranges
vigorously. Males do most of the defending by displaying through the
trees with leaps and roars which can be heard a mile (1.6 km) away.
Intergroup meetings are usually hostile, mostly between
males, which will make defensive gestures, vocalizations and occasionally
chase or fight each other. Rarely, two troops will share a water
hole or other resource.
Mutilated
Monkey
The name "colobus" is derived from the Greek word meaning "docked" or "mutilated." Colobus
monkeys once were thought to be abnormal because they have no thumb, or only
a small stub where the thumb would usually be. This is actually an adaptation
rather than a mutilation which allows colobus monkeys to easily travel along
the tops of branches quadripedally.
Strange Stomach
Colobus monkeys have unusual stomachs
which are similar to the digestive systems of cows. The important feature
of a colobus' stomach
is that it has three or four different regions. The upper "sacculated" regions
are very large and are separated from the lower acid region. The sacculated
stomach and the specialized bacterial microflora enables the monkeys
to digest large volumes of leafy material. If the stomach was not as
large as it is these monkeys would not be able to get ample nutrition
from their food. Colobus monkeys always have a belly full of food which
is in the process of being digested. The contents of the stomach can
constitute up to a quarter of the weight of an adult and half the weight
of an infant monkey.
Location
at the Zoo
Woodland
Park Zoo's black and white colobus
monkeys can be viewed in the Tropical Rain Forest. Other animals
which can be viewed in the Tropical Rain Forest are the western lowland
gorilla and red ruffed lemur.
Conservation
Connection
Black and
white colobus monkeys are not an endangered species but are vulnerable
to habitat destruction and human overpopulation. Also, many colobus
monkeys are killed for their meat and skins. Woodland Park Zoo participates
in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums'
(AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the black and white colobus
monkey, which manages the species and works to educate the public
about this and other threatened and endangered species.
How You Can Help!
The effort to save endangered species requires cooperation and support
at the international, national, regional and individual levels.
You can help in this cause. Join and become active in Woodland
Park Zoo and other conservation organizations of your choice. Please
do not buy products made from wild animal parts. Contact your elected
representatives and express your views about conservation of endangered
species and wild habitats.
To find
out about ways you can support conservation programs at the zoo contact
Woodland Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo.org. Learn other
ways you can help conserve wildlife and the habitats they require
for survival by visiting our How You Can Help page.
Sources and Suggested
Reading
Davis, A. Glyn and John F. Oates. 1994. Colobine
Monkeys: Their Ecology, Behavior and Evolution. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, England. 415 p.
Oates, John F. 1977. The Guereza and Its Food. Clutton-Brock,
Primate Ecology: Studies of Feeding and Ranging Behavior in Lemurs,
Monkeys and Apes. Academic Press, London, England. pp. 275-322.
For Kids!
Greenaway, Theresa. Jungle. Eyewitness Books. 1994. Knopf Publications,
New York, NY. 64 p.
Julivert, Maria Angels. The Fascinating World
of Primates. 1996. Barron's Educational Series Inc.,
Hauppauge NY. 31 p.