The Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway) is an endangered Old World monkey that can be found only in West Africa. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Diana monkey (C. diana). It is still difficult to gather data on wild Roloway monkeys, as they have low populations in a vast forest, but they are a unique and vanishing species.
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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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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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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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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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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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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 withThe Roloway monkey is a species of guenon monkey. In fact, they are the largest of all of the 26 African guenons. Its face is dark black, accentuated by the bright white fur covering its shoulders and chest. Roloway Monkeys have a relatively flat skull, and unlike many other primates, they do not have an elongated chin cavity, also referred to as a rostrum. In addition, the nostrils of the monkey are closely set and they angle downwards. Its chest, and throat are bright white, and the monkey has a white line of fur that runs along each outer thigh. On the inside of the thighs, the fur can range from white, red, brown, or even yellowish. They have exceptionally long tails, longer than the entirety of their body. Roloway monkeys have a distinct cheek pouch. This patch allows the monkeys to store food such as. They also have opposable thumbs, which are quite well-developed, and fingernails on all of their fingers.
Roloway monkeys occur in a small area of eastern Ivory Coast and the forests of Ghana, between the Sassandra and Pra Rivers, and may possibly occur in Burkina Faso and Togo. They live in the canopy of old-growth forests, including gallery forests, in moist-low-lying regions, and avoid but can make use of forests that have been lightly logged. Roloway monkeys cannot live in areas where humans have had a large impact, therefore they only live in secluded, primary forests. Primary forests are ones that have not been majorly affected; they are quite old and full of unique attributions that can allow for populations of animals and plants to be more stable in the long term. These forests are very lush, containing thick and moist shrubbery that allows for easy hiding.
Roloway monkeys typically are active during the day and spend the night sleeping high in the canopy. They live in groups of around 6-30 individuals, typically with a single male, around 10 females and their offspring. Males may change between groups, while females generally stay with the same group into which they were born. Most of their day is spent searching for food, and in between hunting, during rest time, the monkeys will take time to groom one another, play, and care for their young. This is the primary time for bonds to form and strengthen. The rest period during the day is also a great time for the infants to learn and grow mentally. In addition, Roloway monkeys interact with other monkeys that inhabit the same areas. Roloway monkeys have many different types of calls and sounds they use for communication. They are known to croak, chuckle, shriek, and will even make distinct yelling sounds when they sense a threat and want to warn the others in the group. Another frequent call is one that the males of the haram will make. This is known as a gathering call and it lets the females and juveniles of the group know that they should return to their home range, near the male. Roloway monkeys also perform facial expressions, posture, hand signals, and even actions. Raised eyebrows can be used to show threatening signals. They also use their mouth and teeth as a way of being either dominant or submissive, and different mouth movements or shapes can mean different things. Within their groups, there are levels of hierarchy, and distinct communication, both physical and verbal, is needed in order to maintain a peaceful structure and to reduce tension and fighting.
Roloway monkeys have an omnivorous diet. They consume various fruits, flowers, leaves, and even insects. In addition, Roloway monkeys will eat larvae and eggs of invertebrates for added nutritional value. They can feed on the plant parts of roughly 130 species of trees, climbers, and epiphytes. They also consume mature fruit pulp, arthropods, oil-rich seeds, and young leaves.
Roloway monkeys are polygynous, meaning that one male mates with more than one female. There is not one specific time for breeding. Females usually give birth to a single infant or, rarely, twins, after a gestation period of around 6 months. The female is the primary caretaker, though siblings or non-related females may help to care for the newborn. The mother will suckle the infant for about 6 months and then will feed it a more adult-like diet, including fruit, nuts, and seeds. Young Roloway monkeys reach maturity at about 3-4 years of age. A young male typically seeks out a new group that he can join or forms a new group to reproduce with unrelated females.
Roloway monkeys continue to rapidly decline, and the hunting and habitat loss. The forests these monkeys need are undergoing rapid levels of deforestation for human purposes, and this is causing exceptional levels of habitat loss for so many species, including the Roloway. These monkeys are also on the brink of extinction because of human expansion. The once expansive forest they inhabited continues to shrink as roadways and transportation areas expand. In addition, much of the forest is being used for farming purposes, making the land inhabitable for the monkey. There are fewer and fewer sightings every year since the 1970s and, recently, many of the areas where the Roloway could be found have recently reported zero sightings. Roloway monkeys are also a primary target in Ghana's bushmeat trade. The bushmeat trade is massive, accumulating almost 1,000 tons of meat, and selling it in the markets on Ghana's streets. The reason the Roloway monkey is so popular for bushmeat is because they are unique. Also, these monkeys make loud noises when communicating, and this can allow for hunters to find their location more easily, thus leading the monkeys to be hunted.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Roloway monkey total population size. However, it is estimated that less than 2,000 individuals survive in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Currently, this species is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...