Olive Colobus

• Common Name: Olive Colobus
• Taxonomy Classification Year: 1838
• Monkey Size: 9 to 43 cm (3.54 to 16.93 in)
• Skin Color(s): Olive
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Diet: Herbivorous
• Native Countries: Sierra Leone, Niger, Nigeria

The olive colobus^[1] (Procolobus verus), also called the Van Beneden’s colobus or green colobus is a primate species in the Cercopithecidae family.

• Its name in English refers to its opaque olive-colored upper parts.
• The smallest and darkest of all African colobus monkeys, Procolobus verus, sports olive fur with a brown tint on top and grayish underparts.
• Weights vary from 2 to 4.5 kg, and body lengths of 9 to 43 cm are reported.
• Olive colobus monkeys have a body structure similar to black and white colobus monkeys. Still, olive colobus monkeys have a small crest on their heads and the smallest thumbs and largest feet of any colobus.
• Males are the same size as females, with relatively larger canines than females.

The Olive Colobus feeds on^[¶]:

• Raphia Palm (Raphia africana).
• Persimmons (Diospyros)
• African Locust-Bean (Parkia bicolor).
• Boleko Nut (Ongokea gore).
• African Nutmeg (Pycnanthus angolensis).
• Velvet Tamarind (Dialium guineense).
• Lagos Silkrubbertree (Funtumia africana).
• Sasswood (Erythrophleum)

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), Crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus), Leopards (Panthera pardus) and Humans (Homo sapiens) are the primary predators of Olive Colobus monkeys^[§].

• 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.
• Olive colobus monkeys are found in small groups containing multiple breeding males, multiple females, and their young.
• The close association with Diana monkeys not only serves to avoid predators but is also a mechanism used by male olive colobus monkeys to obtain new female mates.
• The mating system of the olive colobus is unique in that, unlike many species that live in small groups, there is no evidence of the monopolization of females by males.
• The olive colobus monkey is highly vulnerable to habitat loss due to increased encroachment by farmers and hunters into protected and unprotected areas.