Humans are the primary predator of black colobus, as these monkeys are often hunted for bushmeat. Although information on other predators is not readily available, leopards and eagles are known to prey upon other species of Colobinae. The high-pitched roar of black colobus may be used as an anti-predator defense mechanism.
Known Predators:
Due to the lack of white fur on their head, body, and tail, black colobus are easily differentiated from other species in the genus Colobus. They have black, glossy coats with dark skin underneath. Young are born with brown fur, which is replaced by the characteristic black fur within a few months after birth. Like all members of the family Colobinae, black colobus have a slender build, large salivary glands, and ischial callosities (tough, hairless, nerveless pads covering the rump). They lack opposable thumbs and only a small, nailed remnant remains. They have long fingers and limbs, with back legs that are generally longer than their arms. Compared to the largely folivorous guereza, black colobus have more robust skulls and larger, flatter teeth to facilitate seed crushing. On average, adult males are larger than adult females. Adults range in mass from 4 to 14 kg, with an average of 11 kg. Head and body length ranges from 50 to 70 cm long, and their tails range from 62.5 to 88 cm long.
Range mass: 4 to 14 kg.
Average mass: 11 kg.
Range length: 50 (head/body); 62.5 (tail) to 70 (head/body); 88 (tail) cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
There is no information available regarding the average lifespan of Colobus satanas.
Black colobus spend a majority of their time high in the upper canopy of primary and mature secondary rainforests. They prefer areas of forest with an abundance of tree nuts and young leaves and have large home ranges. They occasionally descend from the high branches to feed on fallen nuts, but generally remain in the canopy.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
The word colobus comes from the Greek kolobós, meaning mutilated and refers to the genus’s lack of opposable thumbs. Black colobus are sometimes referred to as the Satanic colobus due to its all-black coat. They were first described by Waterhouse in 1838 and are considered the most primitive of colobine species, due to their low number of derived traits.
Black colobus have one of the most distinctive calls of all African primates. The loud, is thought to be multifunctional and may be used during male-male competition, maintaining group spacing, defending territory, or intimidating predators. They have tri-color vision and rely primarily on sight to perceive their environment.
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Black colobus are classified as vulnerable on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. Major threats to their persistance are hunting for the bush meat trade and habitat destruction due to agriculture and logging. Population size has decreased by 30% over the past thirty years and as much as 60% on Bioko Island due to habitat loss and hunting. Black colobus have become locally extinct in areas particularly vulnerable to logging.
CITES: appendix ii
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
There are no known adverse effects of black colobus on humans.
Black colobus monkeys are commonly hunted for their meat and fur.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material
Because black colobus are seminomadic granivores, they are important seed predators and likely important seed dispersers as well. Dropped seeds and fruits likely serve as an important food source for terrestrial species such as red river hogs.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Black colubus are primarily granivorous and a majority of their diet consists of hard seeds and nuts. Their specialized molars have large crushing surfaces, which are thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to granivory. In addition to nuts and seeds, black colobus eat unripe fruit and leaves, particularly young leaves from lianas (i.e., long-stemmed woody vines rooted in soil). When seeds and young leaves are scarce, black colobus feed primarily on mature leaves. Like all Colobus species and similar to most ungulates (i.e., Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla), black colobus have four-chambered stomachs containing bacterial communities that help break down cellulose. Studies have shown that their preference for seeds is not contingent upon leaf quality or tree diversity throughout their home range.
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Primary Diet: herbivore (Granivore )
Black colobus (Colobus satanas) are restricted to a small range in western Africa stretching from the Sanaga River in Cameroon, south through Equatorial Guinea and western and central Gabon. Their range extends as far east as the northwestern corner of Congo and as far west as Bioko Island, off the coast of Cameroon. There are two recognized subspecies. Colobus satanas satanas occupies Bioko Island, and C. s. anthracinus occupies the mainland.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Little is know of mating behavior in black colobus. They are generally polygynous and tend to live in groups consisting of both males and female. Typically, they mate with individuals in their own group, and male-male competition for mates may occur.
Mating System: polygynous
Black colobus can breed year-round. Although this species has not been studied extensively in captivity, their close relative, guerezas, give birth throughout the year. Only red colobus and olive colobus are known to have birth seasonality. Male black colobus reach sexual maturity around 6 years of age, while females reach sexual maturity by 4 years of age. Menstruation lasts approximately 1 month and is marked by visible menstrual bleeding. Once pregnant, gestation lasts for 200 days. Although single births are most common, twins are possible on rare occasions.
Breeding season: Black colobus breed year-round.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average gestation period: 200 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 4 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 6 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Little is know of parental care in Colubus satanas. Because they are polygynous, it is thought that females provide a majority of parental care.
Parental Investment: female parental care
The black colobus (Colobus satanas), or satanic black colobus, is a species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus Colobus. The species is found in a small area of western central Africa. Black colobuses are large, completely covered with black fur, and like all other Colobus monkeys, do not have a thumb.[3] The species has faced large declines in population due to habitat destruction and hunting by humans, and was consequently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 1994.[2]
The black colobus monkey is one of five recognised species in the genus Colobus. The black colobus is the oldest species in this genera and is thought to have diverged 3-4 million years ago.
There are two subspecies of black colobus monkey:
The word 'Colobus' comes from the Greek word for 'mutilated', as all Colobus monkeys only have a short stump where the thumb would be. The word 'satanas' means 'the accuser' or 'the devil' in Greek.[5]
The black colobus monkey is a large species with a head-body length of 50–70 cm and a long tail of around 80 cm. As in all Colobus species, the black colobus has a slender build and ischial callosities - tough pads of skin on the rump. There is little sexual dimorphism between the two sexes - adult males can weigh between 10–15 kg, whilst females weigh between 10–11 kg.[3][6] The black colobus is covered in black fur apart from the ears and face, and has longer hairs on its cheeks and forehead. Unlike other species of colobus monkey, black colobuses have no white markings.[3] The two subspecies of black colobus look very similar, although the fur of Colobus s. satanas is slightly longer and fluffier. There is currently not enough data to estimate the life expectancy of the species.[7]
The black colobus monkey is found in Equatorial Guinea, south west Cameroon and central and north-western Gabon. Small populations may also occur in the north of the Republic of the Congo. The subspecies C.s.satanas is only found on Bioko Island, off the coast of Cameroon.[8] The distribution of the black colobus has decreased dramatically - the species is now rare or absent in some areas of its range due to its habitat being destroyed for logging. Black colobuses are known to live at low densities, but there is currently no total population estimate for the species. One of the largest remaining populations of the species, consisting of 50,000-55,900 individuals, is found in Lope Reserve, Gabon. Other remaining large populations are found in the Foret des Abeilles in central Gabon and Douala-Edea Reserve in Cameroon.[2]
The black colobus is an arboreal species that lives high in the canopy of dense rainforest and occasionally coastal sand dune or wooded meadows.[3] Black colobuses are unable to survive in secondary forest that has regrown after a major disturbance such as logging and therefore tend to avoid areas populated by humans.[9] The black colobus cannot be bred in captivity due to the food and habitat it requires.[10]
Black colobus monkeys are herbivores and feed predominantly on seeds.[11] Their robust, flat teeth allow them to chew tough seeds easily. This diet means that the species plays an important role as seed dispersers in the ecosystem. Black colobuses also eat large amounts of leaves, in particular lianas, as well as flowers, buds and unripe fruits.[3] Unlike most primates, Colobus monkeys have multi-chambered ruminant stomachs which allow them to easily digest these leaves. Younger leaves and seeds are preferred, as these are rich in nutrients and contain lower amounts of digestion-inhibiting compounds such as tannin.[11] However, the black colobus monkey can withstand high levels of these poisonous compounds and can therefore eat food that is undigestable to other colobus monkeys. This means they can live in areas unoccupied by other species.[3] Black colobus monkeys have also been observed eating soil, which may be to ensure that they have enough minerals such as sodium in their diet.[12]
Black colobus monkeys live in multi-male groups of 10-20 individuals. The species is territorial and will make loud calls to warn other groups away from the area in which they are feeding.[6] The black colobus call is distinctive from other primate species and sounds like a loud 'sneeze' followed by a roaring noise.[3] Black colobus groups are sometimes joined by single male crested mona monkeys (Cercopithecus pogonias). These individuals take part in black colobus grooming and socialising and are thought integrate themselves into black colobus groups for protection. Colobus monkeys have been known to respond to crested mona monkey alarm calls.[13]
Black colobus monkeys are diurnal and spend around 60% of their time resting. The remaining part of their day is spent feeding, socialising and moving. Black colobuses have large home ranges and will move up to 850 metres each day in search of food.[3]
Black colobus monkeys do not have a specific breeding season, but most mating occurs during rainy times of the year. Males reach sexual maturity at age 6, in females this occurs at age 4. Females do not have a sexual swelling as seen in other primate species and give birth to a single baby after a gestation period of around 195 days. Females have a baby every 20 months on average.[5] Black colobus babies are born with brown fur and become black, unlike all other Colobus species, which are born with white fur.[3] Allomothering, when other members of the group help mothers to care for their babies, is relatively rare in the black colobus monkey.[14] Black colobus babies are carried around by the mother and spend time playing with other members of the group as they grow in order to learn and socialise.[5]
The black colobus monkey is one of the most threatened primate species in Africa and is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.[15] This is because the species’ population has declined by over 30% in the past 30 years. The subspecies C.s.satanas is classified as Endangered as its population has declined by over 60% in the last 30 years.[2] The black colobus monkey is now only found in areas which cannot be easily accessed by humans.[3]
The species has faced population declines due to logging and illegal hunting for the fur trade which began in the 19th century.[6][15] Due to improved roads and increased wealth in the area, commercial hunting for the species has become more profitable.[10] Today, black colobus monkeys are mainly traded for their meat and account for 20% of the bushmeat sold in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.[16] One adult black colobus carcass is sold for around US$20.42.[17]
The black colobus monkey is listed under Appendix II of CITES, which restricts international trade of the species.[18] The species is also listed under Class B of the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.[2] Further information and data is needed to in order to help conserve the species. Conservation programs such as the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program aim to work with local people to learn more about the black colobus monkey and protect it from extinction.[19]
The black colobus (Colobus satanas), or satanic black colobus, is a species of Old World monkey belonging to the genus Colobus. The species is found in a small area of western central Africa. Black colobuses are large, completely covered with black fur, and like all other Colobus monkeys, do not have a thumb. The species has faced large declines in population due to habitat destruction and hunting by humans, and was consequently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 1994.
