Colobus Monkeys
Colobus monkeys are Old world monkeys of the genus Colobus endemic to Africa. Several of the Colobus monkey species are Red Colobus monkeys.
Colobus monkeys forage on flowers, leaves, and fruits. Consequently, these African primates play a vital role in seed dispersal.
The male king colobus is the largest colobus monkey, with an average weight of about 9.90 kg. On the other hand, the Procolobus verus is the smallest colobus monkey with an average body weight of 4.5 kg.
Types of Colobus Monkeys
Angolan Colobus
The Angolan Colobus is a conspicuously-patterned monkey with a very long tail that helps it maintain its balance as it moves quickly through the trees. Although the species is named after Angola, it's rare in this country.
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Ashy Red Colobus
The Ashy-red Colobus or Ugandan red Colobus is an endangered species of red Colobus endemic to Eastern Africa. Like other colobus monkeys, Ashy Red has small thumbs that allow it to comfortably grip branches and swing nimbly through the canopy. In 2001, the ashy-red Colobus was recognized as a separate species.
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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.
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Bouvier’s Red Colobus
Bouvier's Red Colobus was rediscovered in 2015 in the Republic of Congo after four decades without confirmed sightings. These African primates live in the swampy forests surrounding the Congo River, between the mouths of the Oubangui and Alima rivers.
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Dent’s Mona Monkey
The expressive face of Dent's mona monkey is characterized by golden eyes; a flat, long, dark nose; and a pink chin and mouth. Dent mona monkeys are often found in the company of other primate species.
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Foa’s Red Colobus
Foa's Red Colobus or Central African red colobus is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Generally, these African primates are found in large groups of 20 to 90 individuals.
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King Colobus
The king colobus (Colobus polykomos), also called the western black and white colobus is a species of Old World monkey found in lowland and montane rainforests.
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Lang’s Red Colobus
Lang’s red colobus is an Endangered two-toned monkey, brick red in front and gray behind, found only in the rainforests around Kisangani in the DR Congo.
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Likweli
The Likweli is a black colobus monkey named in July 2026, and the fifth new African monkey species described in 75 years. It lives in a single 1,700 square kilometer pocket of the Democratic Republic of Congo, bounded by a river on one side and nutrient-poor white sand on the other. Its closest relative lives 1,200 kilometers away.
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Lomami Red Colobus
The Lomami red colobus (Piliocolobus parmentieri) is native to central Africa. The Lomani red colobus monkey has a restricted range in the lowland rainforest between the Lomani River and the Lualaba River in the central Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Mantled 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.
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Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus
Miss Waldron's red colobus (Piliocolobus waldronae) is endemic to West Africa. Miss Waldron's red colobus was discovered in December 1933 by Willoughby P. Lowe, a collector at the British Museum (Natural History).
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Mount Kilimanjaro Guereza
The Mount Kilimanjaro guereza (Colobus caudatus) is one of the 7 subspecies of the mantled guereza. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania in the forests surrounding Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro.
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Niger Delta Red Colobus
The Niger Delta red colobus is a Critically Endangered swamp-forest monkey of southern Nigeria. Scientists first documented it in 1993. Fewer than a thousand are thought to survive in the western Niger Delta.
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Olive Colobus
The olive colobus (Procolobus verus), also called the Van Beneden's colobus or green colobus is a primate species in the Cercopithecidae family. It is the smallest specimen of all the Colobine monkeys. It is rarely seen in its natural habitat due to its secretive nature and cryptic coloration.
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Oustalet’s Red Colobus
(Piliocolobus oustaleti) is another species of red colobus that lives in various forest types in the southern Central African Republic, southern South Sudan, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northeastern Congo.
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Pennant’s Red Colobus
Pennant’s red colobus lives only on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. It is Critically Endangered. The 2021 action plan estimated fewer than 1,200 remain. Shotgun hunting for the bushmeat trade is the main threat.
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Preuss’s Red Colobus
Preuss’s red colobus lives only in the border forests of western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria. It is Critically Endangered. The 2021 action plan put its main population at 3,200 to 4,500. Hunting for bushmeat is the main cause of its decline.
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Semliki Red Colobus
The Semliki red colobus (Piliocolobus semlikiensis) is native to central Africa. The Semliki red colobus lives in the ironwood forest of the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo between the Rwenzori Mountains and the Semliki River valley.
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Tana River Red Colobus
The Tana River red colobus is a Critically Endangered leaf-eating monkey found only in forest patches along the lower Tana River in Kenya.
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Thollon’s Red Colobus
The Thollon's red colobus (Piliocolobus tholloni), also called the Tshuapa red colobus, is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Lower Republic of the Congo. It was recognized as a separate species by Dandelot in 1974, followed by Groves in 2001.
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Udzungwa Red Colobus
The Udzungwa red colobus (Piliocolobus gordonorum), also called the Iringa red colobus or the Uzungwa red colobus is endemic to Tanzania.
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Ulindi River Red Colobus
The Ulindi River red colobus (Piliocolobus lulindicus) is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This Red Colobus species is named after the Ulindi River.
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Ursine Colobus
The ursine colobus, or white-thighed colobus, is a Critically Endangered leaf-eating monkey of West African forests. Hunting is the main threat.
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Western Red Colobus
The western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), also called the Upper Guinean red colobus, rust red colobus, or bay red colobus is a species of Old-World monkey found in the forests of West Africa, from Senegal to Ghana.
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Zanzibar Red Colobus
The Zanzibar red colobus (Piliocolobus kirkii) is endemic to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago off the coast of Tanzania. The Zanzibar red colobus, often referred to as Kirk's red colobus is named after Sir John Kirk, the British resident of Zanzibar who first spotted these creatures.
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