Talapoin
Encyclopedia
Talapoins are the two species of Old World monkey
s classified in genus Miopithecus. They live in central Africa
and their range extends from Cameroon
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
to Angola
.
With a typical length of 32 to 45 cm and a weight of approximately 1.3 kg (males) and 0.8 kg (females), the talapoins are the smallest Old World monkeys. Their fur is grey green on top and colored whitish on their underside, much like the vervet monkey
s. The head is round and short-snouted with a hairless face.
Talapoins are diurnal
and arboreal, preferring rain forest or mangroves near water. They are usually not found in open fields, nor do they seem to be disrupted by humans. Like Allen's swamp monkey
, they can swim well and look in the water for food.
These animals live in large groups of 60 to 100 animals. They congregate at night in trees close to the water, dividing into smaller sub-groups during the day in order to spread out to find food. Groups are composed of several fully mature males, numerous females and their offspring. Unlike the closely related guenon
s, they do not have any territorial behaviors. Their vocal repertoire is smaller as well.
Talapoins are omnivore
s, their diet consisting mainly of fruits, seeds, aquatic plants, insects, shellfish, bird eggs and small vertebrates.
Their 160-day gestation period (typically from November to March) results in the birth of a single young. Offspring are considerably large and well developed (newborns weigh over 200 g and are about a quarter of the weight of the mother) and develop rapidly. Within six weeks they eat solid food, and at three months of age they are independent. The highest recorded age of an animal in captivity was 28 years, while the life expectancy in the wild is not well known.
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...
s classified in genus Miopithecus. They live in central 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...
and their range extends from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
to Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
With a typical length of 32 to 45 cm and a weight of approximately 1.3 kg (males) and 0.8 kg (females), the talapoins are the smallest Old World monkeys. Their fur is grey green on top and colored whitish on their underside, much like the vervet monkey
Vervet Monkey
The vervet monkey , or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus....
s. The head is round and short-snouted with a hairless face.
Talapoins are diurnal
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 arboreal, preferring rain forest or mangroves near water. They are usually not found in open fields, nor do they seem to be disrupted by humans. Like Allen's swamp monkey
Allen's Swamp Monkey
Allen's swamp monkey is a primate species that is categorized in its own genus Allenopithecus in the Old World monkey family...
, they can swim well and look in the water for food.
These animals live in large groups of 60 to 100 animals. They congregate at night in trees close to the water, dividing into smaller sub-groups during the day in order to spread out to find food. Groups are composed of several fully mature males, numerous females and their offspring. Unlike the closely related 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, they do not have any territorial behaviors. Their vocal repertoire is smaller as well.
Talapoins are omnivore
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
s, their diet consisting mainly of fruits, seeds, aquatic plants, insects, shellfish, bird eggs and small vertebrates.
Their 160-day gestation period (typically from November to March) results in the birth of a single young. Offspring are considerably large and well developed (newborns weigh over 200 g and are about a quarter of the weight of the mother) and develop rapidly. Within six weeks they eat solid food, and at three months of age they are independent. The highest recorded age of an animal in captivity was 28 years, while the life expectancy in the wild is not well known.
Species
- Genus Miopithecus
- Angolan talapoinAngolan TalapoinThe Angolan talapoin , also known as the southern talapoin, is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in riparian habitats in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unlike the related Gabon talapoin, the Angolan Talapoin has blackish ears and facial skin down to...
, Miopithecus talapoin - Gabon talapoinGabon TalapoinThe Gabon talapoin , also known as the northern talapoin, is a small species of African monkey in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in riparian habitats in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Central African Republic, western Republic of the Congo and far northern Angola...
, Miopithecus ogouensis
- Angolan talapoin