Angola colobus

The Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a primate species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus Colobus.

Angola colobus[1]
Ruwenzori colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii)
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Genus:	Colobus
Species:	C. angolensis
Binomial name
Colobus angolensis P. Sclater, 1860
Subspecies
See text
Angola colobus range

Taxonomy

There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed subspecies from the Mahale Mountains in Tanzania:^[1]

• Angola colobus, Colobus angolensis
  • Sclater's Angola colobus, C. a. angolensis
  • Powell-Cotton's Angola colobus, C. a. cottoni
  • Ruwenzori colobus C. a. ruwenzorii (Thomas)^[3]
  • Cordier's Angola colobus, C. a. cordieri
  • Prigogine's Angola colobus, C. a. prigoginei, from Mt. Kabobo
  • Peters Angola colobus or Tanzanian black-and-white colobus, C. a. palliatus

Physical characteristics

Tanzanian black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis subsp. palliatus) in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania

Like all black-and-white colobi, the Angola colobus has black fur and a black face, surrounded by long, white locks of hair. It also has a mantle of white hair on the shoulders. The long, thin tail can be either black or white, but the tip is always white. There is a significant regional variation in the total amount of white on the body and the length of the fur. Animals that live in the mountains have longer, thicker fur than animals from the lowlands to protect them against the cold.

The Angola colobus has a head-body length of 50 to 70 cm, with the males usually being larger than females. The tail is about 75 cm long, and the body weight varies between 9 and 20 kg.

Distribution and habitat

The Angola colobus occurs in dense rainforests, both in the lowlands and coastal mountains. It lives in most of the Congo Basin, to the south and northeast of the Congo River, as far as Ruwenzori, Burundi and southwestern Uganda. The species can also be found in East Africa, especially in the interior and coastal forests of Kenya and Tanzania and in isolated mountain areas. Although the species is named after Angola, it is quite rare in that country. Of all Colobus species, the Angola colobus occurs in the southernmost latitudes. The geographical range lies south of that of the mantled guereza. It is found up to 2,415 m above sea level in Kenya.^[4]

Ecology and behaviour

All Colobus species are very sociable and live in groups of up to several hundred animals, although most groups are much smaller. Their diet consists of mostly leaves, but also lesser amounts of fruit and seeds.^[5]

References

1. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 168. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
2. de Jong, Y.A.; Cunneyworth, P.; Butynski, T.M.; Maisels, F.; Hart, J.A.; Rovero, F. (2020). "Colobus angolensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T5142A17945007. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T5142A17945007.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
3. Thomas, O. (1901). "On the more notable Mammals obtained by Sir Harry Johnston in the Uganda Protectorate". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 2 (2): 85−90. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1901.tb08165.x.
4. Anderson, J.; Cowlishaw, G.; Rowcliffe, J. M. (2007). "Effects of forest fragmentation on the abundance of Colobus angolensis palliatus in Kenya's coastal forests" (PDF). International Journal of Primatology. 28 (3): 637. doi:10.1007/s10764-007-9143-7. S2CID 207151776.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. Philip Briggs; Janice Booth (2010-03-16). Rwanda. ISBN 978-1-84162-306-1.

External links

• Angolan Black & White Colobus