Western Red Colobus
Encyclopedia
The western red colobus (Procolobus badius) is a species of Old World monkey
found in West Africa
n forests from Senegal
to Ghana
. All other species of red colobus
es have formerly been considered subspecies
of P. badius. It is often hunted by the common chimpanzee
. In 1994, western red colobus monkeys infected many chimpanzees with Ebola
virus when they were hunted/eaten by the same chimpanzees.
P. b. waldronae is critically endangered
, possibly even extinct. The other two subspecies are endangered
.
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...
found in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n forests from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
to Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. All other species of red colobus
Red colobus
Red colobuses are Old World monkeys of the subgenus Piliocolobus in genus Procolobus. Some authors elevate Piliocolobus to a full genus, limiting Procolobus to the olive colobus. They are closely related to the black-and-white colobus monkeys and some species are often found in groups with the...
es have formerly been considered 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 P. badius. It is often hunted by the common chimpanzee
Common Chimpanzee
The common chimpanzee , also known as the robust chimpanzee, is a great ape. Colloquially, the common chimpanzee is often called the chimpanzee , though technically this term refers to both species in the genus Pan: the common chimpanzee and the closely related bonobo, formerly called the pygmy...
. In 1994, western red colobus monkeys infected many chimpanzees with Ebola
Ebola
Ebola virus disease is the name for the human disease which may be caused by any of the four known ebolaviruses. These four viruses are: Bundibugyo virus , Ebola virus , Sudan virus , and Taï Forest virus...
virus when they were hunted/eaten by the same chimpanzees.
Subspecies
This red colobus has three subspecies, including the nominate:- Bay red colobus, Procolobus badius badius
- Temminck's red colobus, Procolobus badius temminckii
- Miss Waldron's red colobusMiss Waldron's Red ColobusMiss Waldron's red colobus is a subspecies of the western red colobus native to West Africa. It has not been officially sighted since 1978 and was considered extinct in 2000. However, new evidence suggests that a very small number of these monkeys may be living in the southeast corner of Ivory Coast...
, Procolobus badius waldronae
P. b. waldronae is critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
, possibly even extinct. The other two subspecies are endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.