The Sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys) is an Old World monkey found in forests of Africa. These rare and endangered monkeys live in groups and communicate with each other using a wide repertoire of vocalizations, including distinct alarm calls for different predator types.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withSooty mangabeys are gray-colored primates with a lighter-colored chest and stomach. Their faces are typically grayish pink, with darker fur along the forehead and ears. They also have strong molars.
Sooty mangabeys are native to tropical West Africa; they are found in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. These monkeys live in old-growth and secondary forests as well as in flooded, dry, swamp, mangrove, and gallery forests.
Sooty mangabeys are terrestrial primates and typically spend most of their overall time on the ground. They are active during the day. They live and forage in large, multi-male, multi-female groups of 70-120 individuals. In each group Sooty mangabeys form linear dominance hierarchies within sexes and form coalitions; within these hierarchies, higher-ranking females typically spend less time foraging as opposed to feeding than their lower-ranking counterparts and are more centrally located within groups. Similarly, higher-ranking males are more centrally located within the group and are better fed and rested. Overall, however, females are found to be located in a more central spatial position within the group and better fed and rested than males, independent of ranking. Sooty mangabeys have many predators and as a result, they have evolved acoustically distinct alarm calls for different predator types. These calls are not vocalized specifically in favor of kin or cooperation partners and in fact, are used by other monkey species to avoid potential predators. Sooty mangabeys also produce other vocalizations for a wide variety of social interactions. They frequently produce grunts, twitters, and screams. Another notable vocalization is "whoop gobbles" - low frequency, extended calls emitted by males at a high volume during the morning, with a nearby group, or with sightings or attacks of predators.
Sooty mangabeys are primarily herbivores (granivores, frugivores). They consume nuts, seeds, and fruits and supplement their diet with invertebrates.
Sooty mangabeys have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system in which both the males and the females have multiple partners. Breeding typically takes place from May to September. After the gestation of 160-170 days, the female gives birth to a single infant which is nursed and protected until 4 to 10 months of age. Young females become reproductively mature at about 4.5 years of age while young males start to breed when they are 4 years old.
The Sooty mangabey is believed to be decreasing in numbers as its forest habitat is degraded; trees are being felled for firewood and timber and forest habitats are used for agriculture. Furthermore, these monkeys are hunted for meat in some parts of their range, often at rates far exceeding the rate at which Sooty mangabeys can reproductively sustain themselves; this increase in hunting, especially with improved technology and an influx of human populations (and thus hunters), has become an increasing threat to the conservation of this species.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Sooty mangabey total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Sooty mangabeys play an important role in their ecosystem. They consume various seeds and then disperse them throughout their native forests.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...