Gray-Cheeked Mangabey

• Common Name: Gray-cheeked Mangabey
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1850
• Monkey Size: 43 to 73 cm (17 to 29 in)
• Skin Color(s): Gray or Blackish Gray
• Habitat: Forest, rainforest
• Diet: Omnivorous
• Native Countries: Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Gabon

The gray-cheeked mangabey^[1] (Lophocebus albigena), also called the white-cheeked mangabey, is an Old World monkey found in the forests of central Africa.

• The gray-cheeked mangabey is a sizeable arboreal primate with gray and often whitish cheeks.
• Their long, lanky bodies are dark or black gray. L.a. albigena, a nominate subspecies, typically has a black spot on the nape and withers (the area between the shoulder blades).
• The hair on their head is scruffy and long, resembling small horns above their eyebrows.
• Their face, eyes, and skin are also dark. In addition, their chest and front legs are heavier than the rest of the body.
• The long gray or brown hairs on the shoulders and neck form a cape. They have long tails and long limbs that give them balance when running through the forest.
• Their tail is somewhat prehensile and powerful enough to grab onto branches while leaping through trees.

Based on the detailed research published in the African Journal of ecology, the Gray-cheeked Mangabey feeds on these food sources not limited to^[¶]:

• Hexapoda (Insecta)
• Boleko Nut (Ongokea gore).
• Butter Tree (Pentadesma butyracea).
• African Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis).
• African Nutmeg (Pycnanthus angolensis).
• African Teak (Milicia excelsa).
• African Mammee-Apple (Mammea africana).
• Horsewood (Clausena anisata)
• Fig (Ficus)
• Chinese Banyan (Ficus thonningii).
• Broom Cluster Fig (Ficus sur).
• Umbrella Tree (Musanga cecropioides).
• Boarwood (Symphonia globulifera)
• Calabash Nutmeg (Monodora myristica).
• Pokeweed (Phytolacca)
• Aframomum (Aframomum)
• Treebind (Cissus)
• Moambé Jaune (Annickia chlorantha).
• Emien (Alstonia boonei)
• Velvet Tamarind (Dialium guineense).
• Umbrella-Tree (Maesopsis)
• Trichilia (Trichilia)
• Djave (Baillonella toxisperma)
• Inoi Nut (Poga oleosa).
• Rattan Palm (Eremospatha macrocarpa).
• Red-Fruited Stinkwood (Celtis mildbraedii).
• Olon Tendre (Zanthoxylum heitzii).
• Tropical Almond (Terminalia)
• Tallow Tree (Allanblackia floribunda).
• Raffia Palm (Raphia)
• Persimmons (Diospyros)
• Hackberry (Celtis)

Humans (Homo sapiens), Crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) and Leopards (Panthera pardus) are the primary predators of Gray-cheeked Mangabeys^[§].

• Gray-cheeked mangabeys belong to the same family (Cercopithecinae) and phylum (Papionini) as mandrills, macaques, and baboons. In fact, they are also sometimes called baboon mangabeys.
• A single infant is usually born with soft fur and open eyes.
• If enough food is available, groups of mangabeys will congregate for a while and even group party members.
• Like baboons, a female mangabey’s buttocks swell and turn pink when they are ready to breed.
• Gray-cheeked mangabey life expectancy varies depending on diet. For example, troops eating hard-shelled nuts can wear down their teeth much faster and die younger than those eating a softer diet.