Colobus guereza kikuyuensis
Encyclopedia
The Eastern black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza kikuyuensis) is a large, tree-dwelling Africa
n subspecies
of the mantled guereza
. The most striking feature of this Old World monkey
is its luxurious black coat; ornamented with long fringes of white fur down each side. Babies are pure white in color for the first few weeks of their life. This large, conspicuous primate
is a common sight through tropical Africa, especially in forested areas.
east to Ethiopia
. Black and white colobus can adapt to any tropical wooded habitat, including rainforest
, dry forest
, open woodlands, and river valleys, at altitudes from 0 to 9300 feet above sea level
. Although colobus are sometimes seen on the ground, they spend most of their time in the trees. They spend most of the day feeding, though they take time out for play and social grooming
.
Black and white colobus are strict herbivores. While they occasionally eat fruit, their diet consists primarily of tree leaves, a very low-calorie, nutrient-poor food. To survive on this poor diet, colobus have evolved multi-chambered stomach
s similar to those of cows. In the first chamber, bacteria
ferment
the leaves, increasing the nutrient availability. In the second chamber, the partially digested leaves are broken down further by enzyme
s and gastric acid
. Because this digestive process takes so long and is so inefficient, up to a third of a colobus's weight may consist of the undigested leaves carried in its gut.
These primates live in social groups of 3 to 15 individuals. Each group has a single adult male, three or four adult females, and their offspring. Adult males that have not been strong enough to form their own troop may also travel together in all-male bachelor troops. Young animals are raised cooperatively by all troop members, and infants may nurse from any female in the troop. Troop members also cooperate to defend each other from predators or from potentially aggressive neighboring colobus troops. Because of these large, protective troops, black and white colobus have relatively few predators, though they may be hunted by eagle
s, leopard
s, and chimpanzee
s.
Females bear a single offspring every two years, after a 6 month gestation
. Males mature at 4 years old, and females at 2 years old. The lifespan is 15 to 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.
Black and white colobus are hunted by humans for their meat
and fur. Their striking pelt is traditionally used for wall hangings and ornamentation on dresses or other clothes throughout equatorial Africa.
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the mantled guereza
Mantled Guereza
The mantled guereza , also known simply as the guereza, the eastern black-and-white colobus, or the Abyssinian black-and-white colobus, is a black and white colobus monkey, a kind of Old World monkey...
. The most striking feature of this 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...
is its luxurious black coat; ornamented with long fringes of white fur down each side. Babies are pure white in color for the first few weeks of their life. This large, conspicuous 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...
is a common sight through tropical Africa, especially in forested areas.
In the wild
This subspecies is found across equatorial Africa, from CongoCongo 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...
east to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Black and white colobus can adapt to any tropical wooded habitat, including rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, dry forest
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
, open woodlands, and river valleys, at altitudes from 0 to 9300 feet above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Although colobus are sometimes seen on the ground, they spend most of their time in the trees. They spend most of the day feeding, though they take time out for play and social grooming
Social grooming
In social animals, including humans, social grooming or allogrooming is an activity in which individuals in a group clean or maintain one another's body or appearance. It is a major social activity, and a means by which animals who live in proximity can bond and reinforce social structures, family...
.
Black and white colobus are strict herbivores. While they occasionally eat fruit, their diet consists primarily of tree leaves, a very low-calorie, nutrient-poor food. To survive on this poor diet, colobus have evolved multi-chambered stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
s similar to those of cows. In the first chamber, bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
ferment
Fermentation (biochemistry)
Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound. In contrast, respiration is where electrons are donated to an exogenous electron acceptor, such as oxygen,...
the leaves, increasing the nutrient availability. In the second chamber, the partially digested leaves are broken down further by enzyme
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
s and gastric acid
Gastric acid
Gastric acid is a digestive fluid, formed in the stomach. It has a pH of 1 to 2 and is composed of hydrochloric acid , and large quantities of potassium chloride and sodium chloride...
. Because this digestive process takes so long and is so inefficient, up to a third of a colobus's weight may consist of the undigested leaves carried in its gut.
These primates live in social groups of 3 to 15 individuals. Each group has a single adult male, three or four adult females, and their offspring. Adult males that have not been strong enough to form their own troop may also travel together in all-male bachelor troops. Young animals are raised cooperatively by all troop members, and infants may nurse from any female in the troop. Troop members also cooperate to defend each other from predators or from potentially aggressive neighboring colobus troops. Because of these large, protective troops, black and white colobus have relatively few predators, though they may be hunted by eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, and chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s.
Females bear a single offspring every two years, after a 6 month gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
. Males mature at 4 years old, and females at 2 years old. The lifespan is 15 to 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.
Conservation status
Though some local populations are decreasing in number, overall this subspecies is numerous and stable in the wild.Black and white colobus are hunted by humans for their meat
Bushmeat
Bushmeat initially referred to the hunting of wild animals in West and Central Africa and is a calque from the French viande de brousse. Today the term is commonly used for meat of terrestrial wild animals, killed for subsistence or commercial purposes throughout the humid tropics of the Americas,...
and fur. Their striking pelt is traditionally used for wall hangings and ornamentation on dresses or other clothes throughout equatorial Africa.