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A note on the ecology of the red-colobus monkeys (Colobus badius tephrosceles) living in the Mahali Mountains

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Abstract

Red-colobus monkeys of the Mahali Mountains utilize many vegetation types; although their main habitat is composed of forest vegetation (gallery forest and montane forest), they sometimes penetrate into even theMiombo woodland.

Red-colobus monkeys mainly live on leaves of trees, but sometimes eat flowers, fruits, and barks. Most of the plant leaves which the chimpanzees eat have proved to be delicacies to colobus monkeys also. Colobus monkeys live in compact bisexual groups, ranging from 30 to 50 in size. No solitary male has so far been observed.

A colobus group living in the gallery forest moved 100 to 200 meters daily within its welldocumented home range. The home ranges of groups do not seem to overlap each other extensively.

Their natural enemies are leopards, birds of prey and probably chimpanzees. The Tongwe inhabitants avail themselves of the colobus coat as part of their native bellows (mufuba) and some pagan inhabitants kill them for their meat.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo, 113, Hongo, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshisada Nishida

Authors
  1. Toshisada Nishida
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Additional information

The research was financed by the Scientific Research Fund of the Ministry of Education and in part by the Wenner-Gren Foundation. This report is a part of the results of the Kyoto University Africa Primatological Expedition.

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Nishida, T. A note on the ecology of the red-colobus monkeys (Colobus badius tephrosceles) living in the Mahali Mountains. Primates 13, 57–64 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01757936

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01757936

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