Fun Guenon Facts For Kids

If you are fascinated by animals in the wild, then you must already be eager to know more about guenon. In this article, you will read all that there is to know about this old-world monkey subspecies.

Guenon is a French word for monkeys. Guenons are thought to be old-world monkeys that constitute the largest number of species native to Africa. They are a different species than the common monkeys, though, because of their distinct and colorful skin and their patterns such as browbands, hip stripes, or a white nose spot. They even have white mustaches and white beards. A common golden monkey does not have spots, but certain guenons do. Guenons are found in forests of the western and southern parts of Africa. They have short jaws, and they have well-developed cheek pouches. Their pouches are used as a means of forage to store food. It is said that their large cheek pouches can contain almost as much food as their stomach! Guenons eat fruits, nuts as well as small birds and insects. They make good pets and are sold for anything between 4500-10000$ depending on the type of species. Schmidt's red-tailed monkeys, spot-nosed monkey, white-nosed guenon, owl-faced monkey, and wolf's monkey are some famous species of the same genus.

What type of animal is a guenon?

Guenon is a French word for monkey. Guenons are a class of monkey species that are middle-sized old-world monkeys with different features like skin patterns and coloration.

What class of animal does a guenon belong to?

Guenons belong to the class of Mammalia, and their scientific name is Cercopithecus dryas.

How many guenons are there in the world?

Although the existence of guenons is threatened by humans due to encroachment and poaching, most of them are not endangered yet. There are 26 different species of guenons widely distributed across the regions of southern and central Africa. The Preuss's monkey Cercopithecus preussi is endangered, and others of the species are vulnerable.

Where does a guenon live?

Guenons are territorial and arboreal creatures. This means they love to live on trees. Thus monkeys of this species are found in the tropical rain forests as well as swamp forests.

What is a guenon's habitat?

They primarily inhabit the tropical rain forest belt of Africa as well as the south of the Sahara desert. Their population is also found in the eastern regions of central Africa beyond the Lualaba River. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya are some of the countries that become a part of their habitat.

Who do guenons live with?

Guenons are family-loving creatures and generally live in packs of females with at least one male. 7-15 is the general pack size of this species. Different species have different styles of where they prefer to live. Some guenon species like to live high in the canopy and seldom climb down to the forest floor or even to the lower branches of trees. Other guenon species are particularly active near the ground and usually leave the trees, making them completely terrestrial creatures.

How long does a guenon live?

Generally, in the wild, a guenon has a life span of up to 20 years. When kept in captivity or at the zoo, they tend to live longer as they receive proper medical care and attention. There have been guenons who have lived up to 26 years as well.

How do they reproduce?

Guenon species can generally breed throughout the year, but in some specific species, the birth of the new ones is constrained to a certain time of the year. The females are pregnant for about seven months and generally bear a single child and twins in some rare scenarios. According to scientists, the newborn can walk in a few days and are active by two months. They get completely mature by four years of age.

What is their conservation status?

The Preuss's monkey Cercopithecus preussi is endangered, and others are susceptible to threats of being endangered in the near future. The San Diego Zoo is thought to be one of the oldest zoos that began caring for these primates way back in 1923. Several different measures are being taken to protect this species from time to time. Their friendly nature also has made zoo authorities eager to do their part in conserving this species in the zoo.

What do guenons look like?

Guenons can be easily distinguished because of their colorful skin and fur. They are grey-green on most parts of the body and the back. Their color gets lighter as you move down near the belly and on the sides. They are mostly white-nosed but also have white mustaches and a white beard on their face, along with prominent whiskers on the side. Sometimes they even have stripes on their legs of white or beige. Different monkey sub-species have different colors, and thus variations can always be found. Schmidt's red-tailed monkeys are quite appropriately named because of their red tails.

How cute are they?

Because of the vibrant coloration and fur, this primate looks very appealing. The babies have their own distinct look and are very cute for people who love monkeys or animals with fur in general.

How do they communicate?

When it gets very hot, they groom themselves and each other, which becomes their main social communication. Mostly guenons communicate through a series of peaceful calls to each other. They mostly communicate while searching for food and during foraging. In case of any danger, they emit a sharp barking sound which alerts the other guenons in the forest. They further repeat it and communicate to the rest of the clan.

How big is a guenon?

Guenons are middle-sized monkeys. They are around 16-22in (42-56 cm) long . The females are comparatively on the lower end of the spectrum as compared to the males in weight and length.

How fast can a guenon run?

Although not one of the fastest monkeys like the Patas monkey in Africa, which runs at speeds of about 34 mph (55kmph), this primate can run at speeds in a slightly lower range. There is not much difference in the speeds of males and females.

How much does a guenon weigh?

On an average, guenon monkeys will weigh about 5.1-15lb (2.3-7 kg). The males weigh higher than the females.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Cercopithecus is the genus name of this species of monkeys, and the scientific name differs according to the particular species, but there are no specific names for the males and females monkeys individually.

What would you call a baby guenon?

The babies of monkeys and guenons are called infants.

What do they eat?

Guenons eat particular food depending on which species they belong to. Some mostly prefer eating fruits and nuts, whereas others even eat small insects and birds.

Are they loud?

Guenon generally has a peaceful way of calling each other, but when they sense danger, their voice tends to get shrill and sharp. The loud voice is to alert other guenons of potential danger around them.

Would they make a good pet?

Guenon monkey is one of the friendliest creatures unless one is trying to harm them or they sense danger around. Even at the zoo, they tend to become crowd attractions because of their playful nature. Thus a guenon makes a great pet and is also sold across the world.

Did you know...

Rhesus monkeys were the most commonly known creatures for scientists to perform experiments on. Now that their number is on the decline, guenon monkeys are also used for experimental purposes.

What do guenons eat?

Different from other monkeys, this primate eats leaves, fruits, and nuts. Some types of this primate also feast on tiny animals and birds as well as insects.

Do guenons have facial hair?

Yes, monkeys of this species are known to have white mustaches and a central white beard. Species like white-nosed guenon also have white whiskers on the sides, which become a distinct feature of their physical appearance.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our guenon coloring pages.