The Angola colobus (''Colobus angolensis''), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
Old World monkey
Old World monkey is the common English name for a family of primates known taxonomically as the Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons ...
belonging to the genus ''
Colobus
Black-and-white colobuses (or colobi) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Colobus'', native to Africa. They are closely related to the red colobus monkeys of genus '' Piliocolobus''. There are five species of this monkey, and at least eight subs ...
''.
Taxonomy
There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed subspecies from the
Mahale Mountains in Tanzania:
[
*Angola colobus, ''Colobus angolensis''
**Sclater's Angola colobus, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''angolensis''
**Powell-Cotton's Angola colobus, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''cottoni''
**]Ruwenzori colobus
The Ruwenzori colobus (''Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii''), also known as Ruwenzori black-and-white colobus, is a subspecies of the Angola colobus. This primate is distributed from the Afromontane forests of the Ruwenzori Mountains across the mount ...
''C. a.'' subsp. ''ruwenzorii''
**Cordier's Angola colobus, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''cordieri''
**Prigogine's Angola colobus, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''prigoginei''
**Peters Angola colobus or Tanzanian black-and-white colobus, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''palliatus''
Physical characteristics
Like all black-and-white colobi, the Angola colobus has black fur and a black face, surrounded by long, white locks of hair. It also has a mantle of white hair on the shoulders. The long, thin tail can be either black or white, but the tip is always white. There is a significant regional variation in the total amount of white on the body and the length of the fur. Animals that live in the mountains have longer, thicker fur than animals from the lowlands to protect them against the cold.
The Angola colobus has a head-body length of 50 to 70 cm, with the males usually being larger than females. The tail is about 75 cm long, and the body weight varies between 9 and 20 kg.
Distribution and habitat
The Angola colobus occurs in dense rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
s, both in the lowlands and coastal mountains. It lives in most of the Congo Basin
The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...
, to the south and northeast of the Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
, as far as Ruwenzori, Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
and southwestern Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. The species can also be found in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
, especially in the interior and coastal forests of Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
and in isolated mountain areas. Although the species is named after Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, it is quite rare in that country. Of all ''Colobus'' species, the Angola colobus occurs in the southernmost latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
s. The geographical range lies south of that of the mantled guereza
The mantled guereza (''Colobus 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, a type of Old World monkey. It is native to much of west ...
. It is found up to 2,415 m above sea level in Kenya.
Ecology and behaviour
All ''Colobus'' species are very sociable and live in groups of up to several hundred animals, although most groups are much smaller. Their diet consists of mostly leaves, but also lesser amounts of fruit and seeds.
References
External links
Angolan Black & White Colobus
{{Taxonbar, from=Q541813
Angola colobus
The Angola colobus (''Colobus angolensis''), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a primate species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus ''Colobus''.
Taxonomy
There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed sub ...
Fauna of Central Africa
Angola colobus
The Angola colobus (''Colobus angolensis''), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a primate species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus ''Colobus''.
Taxonomy
There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed sub ...
Mammals of Burundi
Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mammals of Kenya
Mammals of Malawi
Mammals of Mozambique
Mammals of Rwanda
Mammals of Tanzania
Mammals of Uganda
Mammals of Zambia
Angola colobus
The Angola colobus (''Colobus angolensis''), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a primate species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus ''Colobus''.
Taxonomy
There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed sub ...
Angola colobus
The Angola colobus (''Colobus angolensis''), Angolan black-and-white colobus, or Angolan colobus is a primate species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus ''Colobus''.
Taxonomy
There are six recognized subspecies and one undescribed sub ...