The tantalus monkey (''Chlorocebus tantalus'') is an

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 ...

from Africa that ranges from

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. It was originally described as a subspecies of the grivet (''Chlorocebus aethiops''). All species in ''

Chlorocebus ''Chlorocebus'' is a genus of medium-sized primates from the family of Old World monkeys. Six species are currently recognized, although some people classify them all as a single species with numerous subspecies. Either way, they make up the ent ...

'' were formerly in the genus ''

Cercopithecus The guenons (, ) are Old World monkeys of the genus ''Cercopithecus'' (). Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have ...

''. It is a common species with a wide range, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. ...

Subspecies

This species has three recognized subspecies: *''C. t. tantalus'' *''C. t. budgetti'' *''C. t. marrensis''

Description

A medium-sized species, the tantalus monkey has a black face and a long tail. There is a distinctive undulating white or yellowish browband above the eyes. The cheeks and temples are white, the long hairs being swept backwards and often covering the ears in older individuals. The crown and dorsal surface of the body is grizzled and greenish or golden. The underparts are white and the tail and outer surfaces of the limbs grey. The tail may have a whitish tip. The male is larger than the female and has a bright blue scrotum surrounded by orange hairs.

Distribution and habitat

This monkey is found in tropical central Africa. Its native range includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo and Uganda. It is an adaptable species able to inhabit open woodland,

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground ...

h, forest-grassland mosaic and riverside forest. It is at home in secondary forest and rural and urban locations.

Ecology

Tantalus monkeys live in troops averaging about thirty individuals, with up to ten adult males and eighteen adult females, and varying numbers of juveniles and young. Some adult males move about singly. There is a social hierarchy within the group. These monkeys are demi-terrestrial and spend much of their time on the ground. The troop maintains a

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

, defending it with vocalizations and threats, but some groups are less aggressive than others and share part of their territory with a neighbouring troop. Breeding takes place at different times of year in different parts of the range. A single offspring is the norm, with females giving birth for the first time when about five years old.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1154701 tantalus monkey Mammals of West Africa Fauna of Central Africa Mammals of the Central African Republic Mammals of Chad Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mammals of Kenya Mammals of Cameroon Mammals of South Sudan Mammals of Sudan Mammals of Uganda tantalus monkey Taxa named by William Ogilby