Genus: Cercopithecus – De Brazza’s Monkey
De Brazza’s Monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) is an Old World monkey that was named by French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza. Generally known as ‘swamp monkeys‘, they are often found in wetlands in central Africa.
The De Brazza’s Monkey has good hiding abilities and therefore usually hard to find, making it difficult to attain an accurate species count.
De Brazza’s Monkey ranges across the swamps, bamboo and dry mountain forests of Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda.
De Brazza’s Monkey has grey agouti fur with a reddish brown back, black limbs and tail and a white rump. A white stripe runs down its thigh and an orange crescent-shaped marking appears on its forehead. Its white eyelids match its muzzle and beard. Both male and female De Brazza’s Monkeys have cheek pouches in which they carry food while they forage and males have a blue scrotum.
Genus: Cercopithecus – Hamlyn’s Monkey
Hamlyn’s Monkey (Cercopithecus hamlyni), also known as the Owl-faced Monkey, is a species of Old World monkey that inhabits the bamboo and primary rainforests of the Congo. Hamlyn’s Monkey is exceedingly rare and little is known about it.
However what is known is that it tends to be widely dispersed throughout the eastern part of Congo where it corresponds quite closely to another species of monkey, L’Hoest’s Monkey (C. lhoesti).
Hamlyn’s monkey travels terrestrially and is thought that it may be nocturnal. The male Hamlyn’s Monkey is much larger than the female, with the average adult weighing 7 to 10 kilograms, while females weigh on average 4.5 to 6 kilograms. It is thought to be a frugivore-folivore in diet.
Hamlyn’s Monkey lives in small groups, of ten members or less, with one male and multiple females. Hamlyn’s Monkey has been found only in higher elevations, above 900 metres and up to 4600 metres. Their color is generally dark grey, with a characteristic white stripe which extends from the root of the nose to the upper lip, giving it an owl-like appearance. Hamlyn’s Monkey has scent glands on its chest with which it marks its territory.
Both male and female have bare, blue buttocks, and the mature male has bright red and blue genitals. The juvenile coloration is a yellow-brown coat and a pink face. In captivity Hamlyn’s Monkey has a life span of 33 years. Like others of this genus, it covers a wide area in its daily travels, mostly in a search for food.
Genus: Cercopithecus – L’Hoest’s Monkey
L’Hoest’s Monkey (Cercopithecus l’hoesti), or Mountain Monkey, is a guenon found in Cameroon and the Congo basin. There are two distinct populations and subspecies of this monkey which are widely separated in distribution.
L’Hoest’s Monkeys mostly live in mountainous forest areas in small, female-dominated groups.
L’Hoest’s Monkeys have a dark coat and can be distinguished by a characteristic white beard. The L’Hoest’s Monkey is a forest monkey and is typically found in rainforests in an elevation above 1000 metres, as well as old secondary and mature forests. It has also been found to inhabit isolated forest patches in mountain grasslands. It will occupy a range of different kinds of forested areas, including gallery forest, mature lowland rainforests, wooded savanna at mountain slopes and forest borders. L’Hoest’s Monkeys make their homes in remarkable nests in trees.
L’Hoest’s Monkeys live in fairly small groups dominated by females and contains only one male. The females are usually related, while the male stays only a couple of weeks or at most a couple of years. The adult male makes a very loud and distinct call.
L’Hoest’s Monkeys are active during the day, mostly during early morning and late afternoon. They sleep in trees in a sitting position and hold onto branches or each other. When alarmed or see they are being observed they will flee and take shelter in trees becoming very still. They are mostly terrestrial.
Breeding is seasonal and depends on the area. After a 5 month gestation period, a single young will be born. The mother usually gives birth at night and where ever she happens to be at the time. Birth usually occurs at the end of the dry season, which allows lactation when rainfall is highest. She will eat the placenta and lick the baby clean while it hangs onto to her belly. The other females in the group show much interest in the newborn and will try to hold it. After a few months nursing becomes less frequent, however, it will continue for about 2 years when there is another birth. When male offspring reach sexual maturity they will leave the group. In captivity they have a life span of more than 30 years.
L’Hoest’s Monkeys are primarily herbivores and will mostly eat fruit, mushrooms, herbs, roots and leaves. However, it will also occasionally eat eggs, lizards and small birds.
Genus: Cercopithecus – Mona Monkey
The Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona) is an Old World monkey that lives throughout Western Africa. The Mona Monkey lives in groups of up to 35 individuals in arboreal regions. It is an omnivore although it mainly feeds on fruit it sometimes eats insects and leaves.
The Mona Monkey has brown agouti fur with a white rump. Their tail and legs are black and their face is blue-grey with a dark stripe across the face. The Mona Monkey carries food in cheek pouches.
