Fun Angolan Colobus Monkey Facts For Kids

The Angolan colobus monkey (Colobus angolensis) is from the family Cercopithecidae and is also known as an Angolan black and white colobus. These colobus monkeys live in the eastern part of Africa including Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the northern part of Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the northeastern region of Zaire, and Tanzania.

The habitats that the Angolan black and white colobus tend to inhabit include dense rainforests, montanes, lowlands, and also bamboo forests. This species tends to live in troops.

There is no particular breeding season for these monkeys.

The mating system of this species is polygynous and is based on the dominant male in the group who tends to have the access to a reproductive female. A group typically has one dominant male and two to six females.

A female tends to communicate when it is ready to mate. The gestation period goes on for about 147-178 days and birth is given to a single infant and occasionally twins.

The infants at birth are white in color and their color changes at the age of three. The care of the infants is done by the mother and other members of the troops and weaning takes place after about 15 months.

These monkeys are medium-sized and have slim bodies and long tails. They are black in color with some contrasting white hair.

Half of the tail is white and the shoulders have white fur. The fur of these monkeys is long and silky.

The lifespan of these monkeys is around 20-30 years.

The diet of this species includes fruit, bark, stems, buds, shoots, and leaves. This species is known to be diurnal.

Though this species is not Extinct or Endangered there are some threats this species faces in its range that include habitat loss, hunting, and predation, and some known predators include humans, leopards, and eagles.

It is very gripping to learn about the Colobus angolensis, commonly known as the Angolan colobus monkey, and if you are interested, check out colobus monkey facts and titi monkey facts too.

Angolan Colobus Monkey Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Angolan colobus monkey?

An Angolan colobus monkey is a type of monkey.

What class of animal does an Angolan colobus monkey belong to?

It is placed under the class of Mammalia.

How many Angolan colobus monkeys are there in the world?

There is no specific estimation available for the population of Angolan colobus monkeys.

Where does an Angolan colobus monkey live?

The range of the colobus monkeys consists of the eastern part of Africa including Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, the Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the northeastern region of Zaire, and Tanzania. They are endemic to Africa.

What is an Angolan colobus monkey's habitat?

Their habitat consists of dense rainforests, montanes, lowlands, and bamboo forests. They can also be found in swamplands and savannas as well.

Who do Angolan colobus monkeys live with?

These monkeys are known to live in small troops.

How long does an Angolan colobus monkey live?

These colobus monkeys are known to have a lifespan of about 20 years in the wild, whereas, in captivity, their lifespan can be around 30 years.

How do they reproduce?

There is no particular breeding season for Angola black and white colobus monkeys. The mating system of these colobus monkeys is polygynous and within a family group, the dominant adult male is known to have the access to the reproductive adult females.

The young males from the group tend to replace and become the dominant ones over time.

In most family groups there is a single dominant male with around two to six females. Females of this species tend to engage in a behavior known as presenting, to show or communicate to the male that they are ready to mate.

The gestation period of these monkeys is around 147-178 days long and generally, a single young one is given birth and occasionally twins.

One interesting feature about the young ones of this species is that the young ones are born white and the color changes when they are around three months old. Weaning takes place at about 15 months of age.

The young ones are taken care of by mothers and female members of the social groups.

The role of the male is minimal or might play no role in rearing the infant. Sexual maturity is reached at two years for females, whereas, males reach sexual maturity at about four years of age.

What is their conservation status?

 They are placed under the Vulnerable category of conservation status.

Angolan Colobus Monkey Fun Facts

What do Angolan colobus monkeys look like?

These colobus monkeys are known to be medium-sized animals and tend to have slim bodies and long tails. These monkeys tend to have noticeable rump callosities, reduced thumb, and a complex system of the stomach that helps with cellulose digestion.

The hair of these animals is known to be silky and long. They are black in color with a browband, throat, and cheeks that are white in color. There are epaulets on their shoulders with long hair that are white in color.

The end half of the tail is also white in color. Females tend to be slightly smaller than males.

How cute are they?

These monkeys are not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

Not a lot of information is available about the communication of these monkeys, but it is believed that they tend to use tactile, auditory, and chemical cues to communicate.

How big is an Angolan colobus monkey?

The colobus monkeys are known to be around 19.6-27.5 in (50-70 cm) in length. The length of this species is similar to that of a howler monkey and larger than a macaque monkey.

How fast can an Angolan colobus monkey jump?

The speed of the jumping is unknown but they are known to be quite fast when jumping and can take leaps of around 50 ft (15 m).

How much does an Angolan colobus monkey weigh?

The weight of these monkeys ranges from 20-44 lb (9-20 kg). Their weight is greater than that of a patas monkey.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of this species do not have any specific names.

What would you call a baby Angolan colobus monkey?

The baby of a monkey in general is known as an infant.

What do they eat?

They eat stems, buds, flowers, bark, shoots, fruit, and seeds. They also tend to eat clay from mounds of termite. The population in Tanzania tends to feed mainly on ripe fruits. They tend to feed in the morning and evening.

How active are they?

This wild species is known to be extremely active.

Would they make a good pet?

Not a lot is known about these animals as pets and it is believed that they might not make great pets as they are wild animals.

Did you know...

The name 'colobus' is derived from a Greek word that means 'mutilated' as these monkeys do not have a thumb.

It might sometimes also be referred to as an Angolan black-and-white colobus.

This monkey is named Angola but is very rare in that country.

It is a primate species and is known to belong to the Old World monkey category.

This monkey species is known to be a diurnal one.

They are extremely arboreal and rarely come to the ground to feed on vegetation and prefer high canopies as they inhabit forests and trees.

Some known predators of this species include humans, leopards, and eagles.

This monkey is also known to disperse seeds of the fruits they eat.

In Africa, this monkey provides skin and meat to the people as hunting by humans is one of the threats they face and is also an important part of attracting eco-tourism.

The system of the stomach of these colobus monkeys allows them to consume toxic foliage and it is believed that other monkeys cannot consume toxic foliage.

How many species of colobus monkeys are there?

There are five species of the Old World colobus monkeys group namely, black colobus, king colobus, Angola colobus, mantled guereza, and ursine colobus.

The black colobus species is found in the western part of Africa.

The king colobus is found in Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The mantled guereza is found in the east part of Africa.

The ursine colobus is found in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.

The Angola colobus, as stated, is found in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and Congo.

How do colobus monkeys defend themselves?

Males tend to defend their groups by making various sounds like roars, chases, and tongue-clicks. A stiff-legged display is also used as a defense mechanism. Another method used to escape and avoid predators is quick maneuvering in trees and group members also join them to defend themselves.

 Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our Masai giraffe fun facts and Bornean orangutan interesting facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable red colobus monkey coloring pages.

Main image by Ryan E. Poplin.

Second image by Ryan E. Poplin.