Cyber FlashCards

10 of the weirdest primate species

#4

what is thIS PRIMATE'S common name?
WESTERN RED COLOBUS MONKEY
Also called the bay red colobus, rust red colobus,
or Upper Guinea red colobus
What is the scientific name?
Piliocolobus badius
​WHAT KIND OF PRIMATE IS THIS?
MONKEY
Where do they live?
The western red colobus monkey is native to the coast of West Africa in the countries of Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. They prefer primary or mature old growth forest, but they live in all levels of the tree canopy from moist forest to gallery forest alongside streams or rivers.
Picture
Africa
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Where Western red colobus monkeys live (green). Where they're likely extinct (orange). Map: Chermundy & IUCN/Creative Commons
New world or old world?
OLD WORLD
fascinating facts
  • Primarily arboreal, western red colobus monkeys occupy all level of the rainforest
  • They live in large groups of anywhere from 20 to 90 individuals 
  • They rarely descend to the ground, except when associating with Diana monkeys
  • Their complex stomachs allow them to digest mature or even toxic foliage that other monkeys cannot; they have a ruminant-like multi-chambered stomach that is capable of digesting cellulose
What threatens their future?
Some of their threats consist include hunting for bushmeat, habitat loss and degradation from agriculture and human activities, and human intrusion and disturbances, including civil unrest.
​WHAT IS their CONSERVATION STATUS?
ENDANGERED
What Does this Conservation Status mean?
Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild
Any species categorized as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable is considered by conservation scientists to be a threatened species
​HERE'S A SNAPSHOT AND THE SPECIES' PROFILE
Click or tap on the graphic to enlarge it
​LEARN MORE ABOUT WESTERN RED COLOBUS Monkeys
Go to the western red colobus Primate Species Profiles page
are western red colobus monkeys good pets?
NO
  1. Western red colobus have very specific dietary and environmental needs. Those needs cannot possibly be met in human living conditions.
  2. To become pets, baby primates are stolen from their mothers. As a result, they do not develop normally emotionally.
  3. When taken from the wild, their mothers are killed to capture the baby.
  4. Primates are never domesticated. They always remain wild. 
  5. Caged primates are very unhappy and frustrated. They are likely to resist confinement. They are quick and cause damaging bites and scratches. Some die as a result of their captivity.
  6. In their natural habitat, western red colobus monkeys live in large social groups. It is cruel to isolate them as pets.
  7. Many locations have strict regulations that prohibit trading in or keeping primates and endangered species are pets.
  8. Western red colobus monkeys belong with other colobus monkeys in their West African forests. They and their habitats must be protected, not exploited.
#PrimatesAreNotPets
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​Common names are not officially defined. They are based on everyday conversational language and may differ by country, region, profession, community, or other factors. As a result, it is not unusual for a species to have multiple common names.

Scientific names, on the other hand, are standardized and constant. They are Latinized and rule-bound by a formal naming system called binominal nomenclature. Scientific names prevent misidentification. They typically only change if a species is officially redesignated.
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The biological order of Primates is divided into these classifications:​
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​​New World monkeys are native to Central and South America.

Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia.
Learn about the differences between New World monkeys and Old World monkeys
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  • ​Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining.
  • Extinct in the Wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity.
  • Critically Endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
  • Near Threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered in the near future.
  • Least Concern (LC) – Widespread and abundant.
  • Data Deficient (DD) – Not enough data to assess the species' risk of extinction.
  • Not Evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated.
Learn more about ​Conservation Statuses
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