Hamlyn’s Monkey

• Common Name: Hamlyn’s Monkey
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1907
• Monkey Size: 40 to 65 cm (15.75 to 25.6 in)
• Skin Color(s): Olive gray and black
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Herbivorous
• Native Countries: Democratic Republic of Congo

The Hamlyn’s monkey^[1] (Cercopithecus hamlyni), also called the owl-faced monkey, is an Old World monkey inhabiting the Congo’s bamboo and primary rain forests.

• The fur of an adult Cercopithecus hamlyni is black and olive-gray. The fur is darker on the lower abdomen, hind legs, and arms.
• An olive-gray tint appears on the backs of adults. Their almost monotonous fur makes them almost invisible to predators.
• The fur of these animals is long, thick, and delicate. However, the face of an adult Hamlyn’s monkey is its most distinctive feature.
• These primates have a horizontal stripe across the forehead and a vertical stripe from the center of the forehead to the lip area.
• These two bands vary in color from creamy yellow to white, forming a T-shaped facial marking.

In the wild, Leopards (Panthera pardus) predate on Hamlyn’s Monkeys^[§].

• Hamlyn’s monkeys have unique feet and hands in elongated phalanges. These allow them a firm grip, a practical adaptation for traveling on wet bamboo.
• Adult male and female species have bare, blue-skinned genital regions and buttocks.
• They live in groups of fewer than 10 individuals. Within these small groups, there is only a dominant male species.
• Hamlyn’s monkeys mark their territory with their scent to maintain their home range.
• Vocal communication is an orientation guide and source of belonging in this dense habitat.