Preuss’s Monkey (Cercopithecus preussi), also known as Preuss’s Guenon, is a diurnal primate that lives terrestrially in mountainous forests up to 2500 metres of eastern Nigeria, western Cameroon and Bioko in Equatorial Guinea.
Preuss’s Monkey is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the L’Hoest’s Monkey (C. lhoesti). Preuss’s Monkey is an omnivore and although it eats primarily fruit and leaves, it also eats insects. It is known for occasionally raiding crops. Preuss’s Monkey is darkish in colouration with a white chin. It weighs up to 10 kilograms.
Preuss’s Monkey troops consist of one adult male and several females and adolescents and usually consist of about 17 individuals. Females give birth to a single young about once every three years. Preuss’s Monkeys mature at 4 years and have a life span of 31 ye
ars.
Preuss’s Monkey is an endangered species, due to habitat loss and hunting. It is one of the species that live in the Guinean Forests of the West Africa Bio diversity Hotspot. There are two subspecies of Preuss’s Monkey, Cameroon Preuss’s Monkey (Cercopithecus preussi preussi) and Bioko Preuss’s Monkey (Cercopithecus preussi insularis).
Genus: Cercopithecus – Sclater’s Monkey
Sclater’s Monkey (Cercopithecus sclateri) is an Old World monkey that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1904 and named after Philip Sclater. It is a diurnal monkey that lives in the trees of the rainforests and tropical areas of Nigeria and Benin.
Sclater’s Monkey should not be confused with the closely related and similarly named species, the White-throated Guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster). The diet of the Sclater’s Monkey is unknown, however, it is likely to be an omnivore that supplements its diet with plant parts and insects, based upon other closely related species.
Sclater’s Monkeys live in troops of 4 to 30 individuals. The male weighs from 3 – 4 kilograms and the female weighs 2.5 – 3.5 kilograms. The female gives birth to one young, which is a factor of decreasing population. Sclater’s Monkey was thought to be extinct until 1988.
Five discrete populations exist, living in Nigeria and are scattered along the Niger River and its delta. Two of these populations live near towns that consider them sacred creatures. The other three populations are heavily hunted. Each of the protected populations consist of about 250 individuals.
Sclater’s Monkey is still considered an endangered species and near extinction due to its decreasing population. Today, its territory is protected and regarded as a holy land, where hunting and logging is restricted. Sclater’s Monkey is one of the species that live in the Guinean Forests of the West Africa bio diversity hotspot.
Genus: Cercopithecus – White-throated Monkey
The White-throated Monkey (Cercopithecus erythrogaster), also known as the Red-bellied Monkey is a diurnal monkey that lives in trees of rainforests or tropical areas of Nigeria and Benin. The White-throated Monkey is usually a frugivore but insects, leaves and crops are also in its diet.
The White-throated Monkey usually lives in small groups of 4 to 5 individuals however, some groups of 30 or more individuals have been discovered. Some male monkeys wander alone. White-throated Monkeys are arboreal, living in moist tropical forest and the wettest parts of dry tropical forest, however they can also be found in secondary bush and old farmland.
Males weigh from 3.5 – 4.5 kilograms and females weigh 2 – 4 kilograms. Females give birth to one young, which is a factor of decreasing population. The White-throated Monkey was once considered extinct due to constant hunting for the fur of its unique red belly and white front legs. Yet, a small group was found near the Niger River in 1988.
The White-throated Monkey is still considered an endangered species due to its decreasing numbers. Today, its territory is protected and regarded as a holy land, where hunting and logging is restricted. It is one of the species that live in the Guinean Forests of the West Africa Bio diversity Hotspot.
There are two subspecies of White-throated Monkey: Red-bellied Guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster erythrogaster) and Nigerian White-throated Guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki).
Genus: Cercopithecus – Wolf Mona Monkey
The Wolf’s Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus wolfi) is an Old World monkey in the Cercopithecidae family. Although it is currently referred to as a full species, it includes three subspecies:
C. w. wolfi which is found on the south Zaire basin between Zaire and Kasai Rivers,
C. w. pyrogaster which is found south of the Kasai Rivers and….
C. w. elegans which is found between the Lomami and Lualaba Rivers.
Wolf Mona Monkeys are not listed as endangered. Very little is known on the ecology of this species, however, what is known is that this species occurs primarily in lowland forest and it also inhabits slope and swamp forests. There is insufficient data regarding their habitat use and preferences, species density and inter specific relationships with other primates – these subjects are still being investigated.
