Angola Colobus

Angola Colobus

Angolan black-and-white colobus, Angolan colobus

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Infraorder
Genus
SPECIES
Colobus angolensis
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
20-30 years
Weight
9-20
19.8-44
kglbs
kg lbs 
Length
50-70
19.7-27.6
cminch
cm inch 

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.

Appearance

Angola colobuses are primates that belong to the Old World monkey family. These animals have black fur and a black face, surrounded by long, white locks of hair. They also have 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.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Angola colobuses are found 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 Kenya and Tanzania and in isolated mountain areas. Although the species is named after Angola, it is quite rare in that country. Angola colobuses live in dense rainforests, both in the lowlands and coastal mountains.

Angola Colobus habitat map

Climate zones

Angola Colobus habitat map
Angola Colobus
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Habits and Lifestyle

Angola colobuses are diurnal and arboreal creatures. They may sometimes come to the ground especially near streams to eat vegetation but prefer to stay higher in the canopy. Angola colobuses live in troops consisting of up to 25 individuals but may also gather in groups of over 300 animals. A typical group includes one adult male and 2-6 females with infants. Young males leave the group before they reach maturity or they can challenge the dominant male for control of the females. When a troop is threatened by a predator, the male will jump and roar until the rest members of the troop run away.

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Angola colobuses are herbivores (folivores). Their diet consists mostly of leaves but also fruit and seeds. The East Tanzanian population feeds mainly on ripe fruit, supplemented with full-grown leaves.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
PREGNANCY DURATION
147-178 days
BABY CARRYING
1 to 2
FEMALE NAME
female
MALE NAME
male
BABY NAME
infant

Angola colobuses are polygynous. This means that males mate with more than one female during the breeding season. Females give birth to a single infant after the gestation period that lasts around 147-178 days. Infants are born all white and begin to change color at around 3 months old. The mother and the other members of the group care about the young. The infant is weaned when he is around 15 months old. Males in this species become reproductively mature at four years of age while females attain maturity at two years of age.

Population

Population threats

The main threat to Angola colobuses is the habitat loss due to deforestation for timber and conversion of land to agricultural use. These animals also suffer from hunting for meat, especially in the Congo Basin.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Angola colobus is unknown. However, there is an estimated population of the species in Kenya that consists of 3,100-5,000 individuals (560–900 groups). Currently, Angola colobuses are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

Ecological niche

Due to feeding upon leaves, fruits and seeds, Angola colobuses are likely to act as seed dispersers of the plants they consume. These animals are also an important prey species for local predators.

References

1. Angola Colobus on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola_colobus
2. Angola Colobus on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/5142/11116129

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