Allen's swamp monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis) is a primate

Primate

A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...

 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 that is categorized in its own genus Allenopithecus in the Old World monkey

Old World monkey

The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, inhabiting a range of environments from tropical rain forest to savanna, shrubland and mountainous...

 family. Systematically it is a sister clade

Clade

A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...

 to the guenon

Guenon

The guenons are the genus Cercopithecus of Old World monkeys. Not all the members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names, and because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have common names that do include the word "guenon"...

s but differs in dentition and habits.

Range

Allen's swamp monkey lives in the Congo Basin

Congo Basin

The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...

, in the Republic of Congo and in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Description

This monkey is a rather strongly built animal. Its skin is grey green at the top side. Its face is reddish with long hair bundles at the cheeks. The slight webbing of the fingers and toes point to its partially aquatic way of life. Allen's swamp monkey can reach a full body length from 45 to 60 cm, with an approximately 50 cm long tail. Males, weighing up to 6 kg, are substantially larger

Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...

 than the females (up to 3.5 kg).

Behavior

Allen's swamp monkey is a diurnal animal

Diurnal animal

Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...

 and regularly looks for food on the ground. It inhabits swampy, water-rich areas and can swim well, diving to avoid danger. It lives together in social

Social animal

A social animal is a loosely defined term for an organism that is highly interactive with other members of its species to the point of having a recognizable and distinct society.All mammals are social to the extent that mothers and offspring bond...

 groups of up to 40 animals, communicating with different calls, gestures and touches.

Its diet consists of fruit

Fruit

In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

s and leaves as well as beetle

Beetle

Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...

s and worms.

Little is known of the mating habits of this species. The females bear young, which are weaned in approximately three months and are mature after three to five years. Its lifespan is as great as 23 years.
Raptors

Falconiformes

The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...

, snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

s and the bonobo

Bonobo

The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...

rank among the natural enemies of Allen's swamp monkey. Unlike other primates, its swampy habitat is not so strongly exposed to the danger of the forests. However it is hunted for its meat.

External links

• Primate Info Net Allenopithecus Factsheets
• http://members.tripod.com/uakari/allenopithecus_nigroviridis.html