Ashy Red Colobus

Kingdom Order Family Genus Species
Animalia Primates Cercopithecidae Piliocolobus Piliocolobus tephrosceles
Ashy Red Colobus
IUCN Status: Endangered
  • Common Name: Ashy Red Colobus
  • Taxonomy Classification Year: 1907
  • Monkey Size: 126.9 to 126.9 cm (49.96 to 49.96 inches)
  • Skin Color(s): Black, dark grey, reddish brown
  • Habitat: Forests
  • Diet: Folivorous
  • Native Countries: Uganda,Tanzania

Ashy Red Colobus Distribution

Ashy Red Colobus Characteristics

Ashy Red Colobus

The Ashy-red Colobus[1] or Ugandan red Colobus is an endangered species of red Colobus endemic to Eastern Africa.

  • Ashy red colobuses are born with black faces that generally lighten to a dark gray with age.
  • Their most distinctive features are the small red bonnets on their heads, which contrast sharply with the ash-gray furs covering the rest of their bodies.
  • In addition, the hair on their shoulders and backs is dark, fading to a lighter shade around the torso.
  • Their long dark-brown tails offer them the balance they need to live high up in the trees. Their feet and hands are usually black or dark gray.
  • Like other colobus monkeys, Ashy Red has small thumbs that allow it to comfortably grip branches and swing nimbly through the canopy.
  • Their extra-wide feet give them enough momentum to make daring jumps between branches up to 50 feet!

Ashy Red Colobus Facts

Piliocolobus Tephrosceles

  • In 2001[2], the ashy-red Colobus was recognized as a separate species.
  • Due to their long and arduous digestion periods, they are significantly inactive during waking hours.
  • Although agile and quick, when necessary, the Ashy-red colobus fight rather than flee.
  • Like other red colobuses, these species are among the most endangered animals in Africa, and their health is an indicator of the ecosystems in which they live.
  • Their infants spend more than a quarter of their waking life playing socially, a considerably higher rate than several other primate species.

Suggested Reading: Types of Monkeys with Names

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BioExplorer.net. (2024, March 29). Ashy Red Colobus. Bio Explorer. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/ashy-red-colobus/.
BioExplorer.net. "Ashy Red Colobus" Bio Explorer, 29 March 2024, https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/ashy-red-colobus/.
BioExplorer.net. "Ashy Red Colobus" Bio Explorer, March 29 2024. https://www.bioexplorer.net/animals/mammals/monkeys/ashy-red-colobus/.
Key References
  • [1]“Ashy Red Colobus Conservation Case Study | The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund”. Accessed August 01, 2022. Link.
  • [2]“Census and Conservation Assessment of the Red Colobus (Procolobus Rufomitratus Tephrosceles) on the Ufipa Plateau, Southwest Tanzania: Newly-Discovered, Threatened and Extinct Populations”. Accessed August 01, 2022. Link.

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