The five or more species of red colobus are brown or black with red markings and are about half a metre (1.6 feet) long, excluding the 40–80-cm tail. Each group lives in a territory in the trees, which the males mark by a “jumping-roaring display” consisting of a loud rattling call accompanied by a vigorous display of leaping about and dropping from tree crown to lower branches. They live in small groups of 1 or 2 males and 3 to 10 females. Adult females weigh about 8 kg (18 pounds), adult males 9.5 to 10 kg. Black-and-white colobus are about 55–60 cm (22–24 inches) long, with a tail that is significantly longer than the body. The pelts are valued by native populations as ornaments, and at one time European demand for the fur was so great that large numbers of these monkeys were slaughtered annually. This colobus has a long beautiful veil of white hair along each flank and a long white brush on the tail. guereza), of the East African mountains, including Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. The best-known species is the Abyssinian colobus, or mantled guereza ( C. satanas) is completely black, the other four species are partially white. The five species of black-and-white colobus are slender, with long silky fur. The three genera of colobus are all more or less thumbless and can be distinguished by colour: black-and-white colobus (genus Colobus), red colobus (genus Piliocolobus), and olive colobus (genus Procolobus). Colobus monkeys are active during the day and are able to make long leaps between trees.

Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Ĭolobus, any of some dozen species of long-tailed tree-dwelling and generally gregarious monkeys native to eastern, central, and western Africa.

This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.

#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.

Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives.

A new dawn troop trees