Cameroon Monkeys

Cameroon Monkeys: Officially known as the Republic of Cameroon, Cameroon is a Sub-Saharan country famous for its cultural diversity and overall biodiversity.

The nation houses 20 different species of Old-World monkeys, though none of them are endemic to the country. A popular species is the red colobus monkey; they live in the trees of forests and are herbivorous^[1]. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most endangered primates of Africa due to excessive human hunting and habitat loss^[2].

Other monkey species that can be found in Cameroon include the olive baboon (Papio anubis), the agile mangabey (Cercocebus agilis), and the red-eared monkey (Cercopithecus erythrotis).

Here are the monkeys from the Republic of Cameroon.

Agile Mangabey

Species Name: Cercocebus agilis

The Agile Mangabey is another Old-World monkey of the White-Eylid Mangabey group mainly found in swampy forests. Due to habitat loss, mangabeys are now listed as endangered, both male and female.

Allen's Swamp Monkey

Species Name: Allenopithecus nigroviridis

Allen’s swamp monkeys are small, stocky monkeys with gray to brown fur and long tails. These highly social primates live in the swamp forests of central Africa, where they mostly spend their time in the trees. It was named after Joel Asaph Allen, an American zoologist.

Angolan Talapoin

Species Name: Miopithecus talapoin

Also known as the Southern talapoin, Angolan talapoin is a primate species in the Cercopithecidae family. Tail color varies from grayish-black to brownish-black above and is yellow or yellowish-gray below. The Angolan talapoin monkeys are among the smallest species of Old-World monkeys.

Black colobus

The black colobus, also known as satanic black colobus, is a species of Old-World monkey in the Colobus genus. The black colobus is the oldest of the 5 recognized species in the genus Colobus and is said to have diverged 3 to 4 million years ago.

Collared Mangabey

Species Name: Cercocebus torquatus

The collared mangabey, also called the white-collared mangabey or red-capped mangabey, is an Old-World monkey endemic to the Atlantic coast of central and west Africa. Its distinctive chestnut-red cap gives the species the name red-capped mangabey, and its white collar gives it the names white-collared and collared mangabey.

Crested Mona Monkey

Species Name: Cercopithecus pogonias

The crested mona monkey, also called the golden-bellied monkey, golden-bellied guenon, or crowned guenon, is a species of African primate in the Cercopithecidae family in west-central Africa. Like many species of Cercopithecus, the crested mona monkey has large cheek pouches that it fills with seeds and fruit while foraging for food.

De Brazza's Monkey

Species Name: Cercopithecus neglectus

De Brazza’s monkey is an Old-World primate native to central Africa’s swamp and riverine forests. It is the largest species of the guenon family and one of the most widespread African arboreal primates.

Drill

Species Name: Mandrillus leucophaeus

The Drill is a primate in the Cercopithecidae family (Old-World monkeys), related to baboons and even more closely to mandrills. Like mandrills, drills are highly social animals that live in groups of around 20 individuals with multiple males and females, with one male dominating reproductive decisions.

Gabon Talapoin

Species Name: Miopithecus ogouensis

The Gabon talapoin, also called the northern talapoin, is a small species of African primate endemic to riverine habitats in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, the far western Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the western Republic of the Congo.

Golden Angwantibo

Species Name: Arctocebus aureus

The golden angwantibo is a strepsirrhine primate of the Lorisidae family. Bärenmaki, meaning “lemur bear,” is the German name for the golden angwantibo due to its bear-like appearance. However, we see no resemblance.

Gray-Cheeked Mangabey

Species Name: Lophocebus albigena

The gray-cheeked mangabey (Lophocebus albigena), also called the white-cheeked mangabey, is an Old World monkey found in the forests of central Africa. Gray-cheeked mangabeys belong to the same family (Cercopithecinae) and phylum (Papionini) as mandrills, macaques, and baboons.

Mandrill

Species Name: Mandrillus sphinx

The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a primate of the Old-World monkey family (Cercopithecidae). It is among the two species in the Mandrillus genus and drill. Groups of mandrills can vary from a few individuals to 50 individuals.

Mantled Guereza

Species Name: Colobus guereza

The mantled guereza (Colobus guereza), also known as the guereza, Abyssinian black-and-white colobus, or eastern black-and-white colobus, is a black-and-white colobus, a species of Old World monkey. The mantled guerezas are typically diurnal.

Mona Monkey

Species Name: Cercopithecus mona

The Mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona) is an Old World monkey living between Cameroon and Ghana in West Africa. Mona monkeys live in large groups of 5 to 50 individuals.

Moustached Guenon

Species Name: Cercopithecus cephus

The mustached monkey or moustached guenon (Cercopithecus cephus) is a primate species in the Cercopithecidae family. Moustached monkeys take regular paths through the branches, with each monkey following the next along the same path.

Patas Monkey

Species Name: Erythrocebus patas

The Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus patas), also called the Hussar Monkey or Wadi Monkey is a terrestrial monkey distributed in semi-arid areas of West and East Africa. The patas monkey lives in multi-female groups of about 60 individuals (although much larger aggregations have been reported).

Preuss's Monkey

Species Name: Allochrocebus preussi

The Preuss’s monkey (Allochrocebus preussi) also called the Preuss’s guenon is a diurnal primate that inhabits terrestrial montane forests (up to 2,500 meters) in eastern Nigeria, western Cameroon, and Bioko in Equatorial Guinea.

Preuss's Red Colobus

Species Name: Piliocolobus preussi

Preuss’s red colobus (Piliocolobus preussi) is native to the Cross-Sanaga Rivers eco-region. These old-world monkeys are restricted to small areas in Cameroon and Nigeria but once occupied a much larger area.

Red-eared Guenon

Species Name: Cercopithecus erythrotis

The red-eared guenon (Cercopithecus erythrotis), also called the russet-eared guenon or red-eared monkey is endemic to the tropical and subtropical lowland rainforests of Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon.

Schmidt's Red-tailed Monkey

Species Name: Cercopithecus ascanius

The Schmidt’s red-tailed monkey, also called the red-tailed guenon, Schmidt’s guenon, or black-cheeked white-nosed monkey is a primate species in the Cercopithecidae family. The Schmidt’s red-tailed monkey is named for its red coloration on the underside of its tail, as well as the bicolor coloration of its tail as the reddish color increases from the base to the tip.

Tantalus Monkey

Species Name: Chlorocebus tantalus

The tantalus monkey (Chlorocebus tantalus) is an Old World monkey endemic to Africa, ranging from Ghana to Sudan. It was initially described as a subspecies of Grivet (Chlorocebus aethiops). Tantalus monkeys are very similar to vervet monkeys but are smaller in size.

Key References

^[1] – “red colobus”. Accessed August 28, 2022. Link.
^[2] – “On the trail of the red colobus monkey – JMU”. Accessed August 28, 2022. Link.

Cameroon Monkeys