King colobus
King colobus[1] | |
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In the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Cercopithecidae |
Genus: | Colobus |
Species: | C. polykomos
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Binomial name | |
Colobus polykomos (Zimmermann, 1780)
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King colobus range |
The king colobus (Colobus polykomos), also known as the western black-and-white colobus, is a species of
Etymology
The word 'Colobus' comes from the Greek word for 'mutilated', as all colobus monkeys only have a short stump where the thumb would be. The word 'poly' comes from the Greek word for 'many.' The word 'komos' comes from the Greek celebration of unrestrained singing. A possible subspecies known as C. p. dollmani can be found but is most likely a hybrid with C. vellerosus.[2]
Characteristics
The male king colobus grows to a head-and-body length of 67 cm (26 in), with a tail of between 63 and 90 cm (25 and 35 in). The female is slightly smaller. Males weigh an average of 9.9 kg (22 lb) and females weigh an average of 8.3 kg (18 lb).[4]
The body is black, the limbs and fingers are long and the tail is white. There is a fringe of silvery hair around the face as well as long white "epaulettes" on its shoulders.
Distribution and habitat
The king colobus monkey is found in
Behaviour and ecology
Diet consists mainly of arboreal leaves, but includes fruit and flowers depending on the season. It can be found foraging on the ground and typically stays within a foraging path of approximately 500 m (1,600 ft).[4]
It lives in small groups of less than 4 females and 1 to 3 males. Unlike males, females interact closely: males rarely interact and try to show dominance.[4] Either males or both sexes will disperse from family groups.[6][7][8]
The king colobus have an average home range of 22 hectares with some overlap between groups. Groups rarely encounter other groups of the same species but when they do, males engage in aggressive displays. Territorial calling is a common form of aggression but can also be a warning to the group of predators.[4]
King colobus have been shown to live approximately 23.5 years in captivity and possibly around 30 years in the wild.[4]
Reproduction
The king colobus live in a single male (
Status and conservation
The king colobus has a moderate-sized range; it used to be a common and widespread species but numbers have declined over the last few decades. The main cause for the decline is hunting which is threatening and fragmenting populations. In the 19th century the king colobus was hunted for its fur.[4] There is also a continuing decline in the quality and quantity of the forested habitat where it lives; it seems to be largely restricted to primary forest and gallery forest, although it sometimes visits secondary forest. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being endangered.[2] Focus has been on managing the habitats to prevent further degradation and habitat destruction that could harm the species.[4] The species is also maintained as part of an EAZA ex situ captive breeding programme by several European zoos.[9][10]
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- hdl:10362/89503.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Landes, D. (2000). "Colobus polykomos". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4729-2531-2.
- .
- PMID 23359253.
- ^ Oates, J.; Davies, G.; Delson, E. (1994). "Diversity of living Colobines". In Davies G.; Oates, J. (eds.). Colobine Monkeys. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 45–73.
- ^ "King Colobus". Zootierliste. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "EAZA Ex-situ Programme overview" (PDF). European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.