Dryas monkey
Dryas monkey[1] | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Cercopithecidae |
Genus: | Chlorocebus |
Species: | C. dryas
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Binomial name | |
Chlorocebus dryas (Schwarz, 1932)
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Geographic range of first-known population (a second population is to the southeast, near the edge of the square)[3] | |
Synonyms | |
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The Dryas monkey (Chlorocebus dryas), also known as Salonga monkey, ekele, or inoko, is a little-known species of Old World monkey found only in the Congo Basin, restricted to the left bank of the Congo River. It is now established that the animals that had been classified as Cercopithecus salongo (the common name being Zaire Diana monkey) were in fact Dryas monkeys.[4] Some older sources treat the Dryas monkey as a subspecies of the Diana monkey and classify it as C. diana dryas, but it is geographically isolated from any known Diana monkey population.
While the Dryas monkey had been considered
Taxonomy
While previously considered a member of the genus Cercopithecus, recent genetic studies indicates that it is instead a basal member of the Chlorocebus clade. However, it may potentially warrant its own genus.[7][8]
Physical description
An adult male Dryas monkey is characterized by its black muzzle, white whiskers, and short, white facial beard. The dorsal surface of its body, along with the coronal crown, is a grayish chestnut color. This species also has white on the ventral side of its body, tail, the bottom portion of the limbs, and the buttocks. The upper portion of the limbs resembles a similar color to the rest of its body, being a dark-grey/black-brown color.[9]
Adult females and offspring have smaller portions of their bodies that are white in color; the white color is not present around their shoulder areas or their buttocks. Another difference in coloration is present in the upper portion of the arms, which are lighter in color as compared to the males.[9] Body size varies from 40 to 55 cm, with a tail an additional 50–75 cm. Adults weigh between 4 and 7 kg, with marked sexual dimorphism.[10]
Ecology
This species prefers secondary forest locations. Although
The diet of the Dryas is said to be made up of mostly plant foods, including fruits, young leaves, and flowers. Due to most of these foods being seasonal, this species also consumes small invertebrates, such as insects, as a supplement.[9]
Behaviour
This species is very social, and lives in groups that are either made up of their own species exclusively or within groups of mixed species. Visual and oral communication is very important, whether communicating to other Dryas monkeys or to other species. When living exclusively amongst each other, troops are made up of up to 30 individuals. Troops include many young offspring and females, but only contain one male. When females reproduce, they have only one young, and the
As communication is very important to this species, they have a unique way of communicating with one another. An example is staring, which is a display used as a threat. The eyes stay fixed as the eyebrows rise and the scalp is retracted. The facial skin becomes stretched and the ears move back. These movements expose the eyelids, which are a different color and heavily contrasts with their facial color. Staring with open mouth is another threat expression that often goes along with head-bobbing. Head-bobbing, another threat display, is thought to be more aggressive. Presenting behavior is used by females during the mating season, showing males they are ready to mate.[11]
Conservation
The
The community-managed Kokolopori Reserve in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was initially considered a key to its survival and the only conservation efforts for the species.[5] A second population, about 400 km (250 mi) from the first and partially protected by the Lomami National Park, was discovered in 2014.[3][12][13]
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ IUCN (21 January 2019). "Dryas Monkey Cercopithecus dryas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ a b Hart, T. (11 September 2016). "Monkeys of the Lomami National Park". bonoboincongo.com. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- PMID 1885114.
- ^ . Database entry includes justification for why this species was listed as critically endangered
- ^ Hart, Terese (14 April 2019). "Dryas monkey: Critically Endangered? Not anymore". TL2 Project. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- PMID 31529046.
- S2CID 233867586.
- ^ a b c d Reiko Goodwin © All the World's Primates(alltheworldsprimates.org) Downloaded 12/8/2011.
- ^ Burton,F. 1995. the Multimedia Guide to the Non-human Primates. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.
- ^ Estes, R.D. 1991. The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press.
- ^ Dasgupta, S. (3 February 2017). "New population of rare Dryas monkey videotaped for the first time". Mongabay. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ "Secretive and colorful dryas monkey isn't as rare as once thought". Mongabay Environmental News. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2021.