BLACK AND WHITE COLOBUS MONKEY

BLACK AND WHITE COLOBUS MONKEYColobus guereza

Conservation Status: Not Threatened

Vulnerability-_Least Concern

CLASS

Mammalia

ORDER

Primates

FAMILY

Cercopithecidae

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General Characteristics:

Color: 

Fur black dorsally and ventrally, with a starkly contrasting U-shaped mantle of white fur descending from the shoulders and running across the lower back; black face fringed with white hair; end of tail white

Size:

Body: male 24.5 inches, female 23 inches; Tail: male 26.5 inches, female 27.5 inches

Weight:

Male 29 pounds 12 ounces; Female 20 pounds 5 ounces

Average Lifespan: 

20 years

Captive Lifespan:

29 years

Distribution:

Nigeria to Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo into Sudan and Ethiopia; Uganda; Kenya; Tanzania

Habitat:

Primary and secondary rainforest, gallery forest and wooded grassland, including some forested areas with a prolonged dry season

Reproduction:

Mating: 

Year-round. Polygynous.

Gestation/Incubation:

6 months

Litter/Clutch Size:

1

Mature: 

4 years in females, 6 years in males

Diet:

Leaves and fruit

Behavior:

  • Diurnal
  • Arboreal
  • Territorial
  • Males migrate from natal group at maturity.

Teaching Facts:

1. They are icons of sacred Gods in the Hindu and Buddhist religions 

2. Their fur is harvested in some cultures and brought money to the fur and trade companies 

Meet Our Colobus Monkeys:

Binder Park Zoo has three eastern black and white colobus monkeys:  Usi, a juvenile male, his mother Azizi, and an older female named Mangalisa.  When Usi was born in 2014, Azizi didn’t exhibit any maternal inclination toward him and the decision was made to remove him. The responsibility fell to the keeper staff and vet team who provided around the clock care to help him grow and thrive. Eventually he was successfully reintroduced to the troop.  Usi is a rambunctious youngster - guests can see him jumping from tree to tree or wrestling with Mangalisa. Some of his favorite enrichment items are toys such as toddler keys, mirrors, or the firehose swing. Colobus monkeys prefer to spend time in the trees and their diet consists of a wide variety of greens.