Chimpanzees are a common predator of red colobus and can reduce populations by as much as 10 % in a year. The large social groups of red colobus are an anti-predatory defense. Some red colobus listen for warming calls of other species of monkeys to alert them to danger. Humans also hunt Pennant's red colobus for meat.
Known Predators:
One of the most striking features of colobus monkeys is their lack of thumbs. A bump remains where the thumb should be, making it look as though the thumb has been cut off. To allow climbing, the other fingers are elongated and form a hook to grip branches. As with many climbing mammals, the limbs of Pennant's red colobus are also elongated. In general, male Pennant's red colobus tend to be larger than females. This speices ranges in mass from 7 to 11 kg. The length of the head and body is usually between 53 and 63 cm, while the tail ranges from 60 to 70 cm. The head tends to be rather small and the belly is round.
Subspecies of Pennant's red colobus vary in the coloration of their pelage. The shaggy hair varies between shades of maroon and orange. The crown is usually dark red to nearly black, and the back feet and tail tend to be dark brown. White is often found on the hair of the pubic region. The hair on the forehead is distinctly parted down the center.
Range mass: 7 to 11 kg.
Range length: 53 to 63 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Little information is available regarding the lifespan of Pennant’s red colobus monkeys. Other members of the subfamily Colobinae have been known to live 25 to 30 years.
Pennant's red colobus are arboreal and spend the majority of their lives in the treetops. They can be found at all levels of the canopy in both primary and secondary rainforest. This genus of monkey occurs in higher densities in primary forests than other genera of Colobinae. Some Pennant's red colobus are also found in marsh forests. Unlike members of a similar genus g. Colobus (black and white colobus), Pennant's red colobus are not found in dry forests. In general, this species is found at relatively high elevations.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
Wetlands: marsh
The range of Pennant’s red colobus (Piliocolobus pennantii) has been reduced to only a few small areas in Central West Africa. One subspecies, P. p. pennantii (Bioko red colobus), is present in the southwestern side of Bioko Island. In the eastern and central Democratic Republic of Congo, the subspecies P. p. bouvien (Bouvier’s red colobus) is present. Another subspecies, P. p. epieni (Niger delta red colobus) is aptly named, as it is found in southern Nigeria.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Pruess's red colobus (Piliocolobus pennantii pruessi) was once considered to be a fourth subspecies of Pennant's red colobus. However, some are now considering it to be an entirely separate species and have given it the new designation of Piliocolobus pruessi.
Pennant's red colobus engage in three major social behaviors. The first of these is social presenting, in which the presenter faces its rear toward the receiver and lifts the hindquarters higher than the rest of the body. This act of submission is performed by all but the adult males. Social presenting usually leads to social mounting. The receiver of the social presenting responds by mounting the presenter in the same manner done during mating. Social mounting displays dominance and is done by all except the least dominant members of the group, infants. Social grooming often follows these behaviors. Through this process, unwanted material, such as dead skin, insects, or parasites, are removed from one individual by another, often using his or her mouth. While the hygienic aspect of this act is rather important, its true purpose is to strengthen the bond between those involved. Social grooming becomes more common when another group is near. Pennant’s red colobus are also known to be rather loud. Noises described as “barks” and “squawks” may be a very important auditory communication between individuals and between troops.
Communication Channels: tactile ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Pennant's red colobus is considered critically endangered by the IUCN. Conservation International named the species as one of the “world’s 25 most endangered primate species” in 2006. A combination of habitat loss and hunting has resulted in low population sizes. Pennant's red colobus are sold in bushmeat markets, and are easy targets for hunters because they are both loud and slow.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
There are no known adverse affects of Piliocolobus pennantii on humans.
The meat of Pennant's red colobus is commonly sold in commercial bushmeat markets. Growing African cities increases the need of animal protein, such as bushmeat. The bushmeat market in West Africa alone is a multibillion dollar industry. Sooty mangabeys, black and white colobus, and red colobus are especially at risk, because they provide hunters with the most profit.
Positive Impacts: food
Red colobus monkeys, including Pennant's red colobus, are preyed upon by chimpanzees. This species also acts as a seed disperser, as it consumes fruits and seeds. Social groups of Colobus monkeys compete with each other for food; the most successful competitors are often the largest groups.
Colobus monkeys are the only monkeys with a complex multichambered stomach containing cellulose-digesting bacteria. Because of this complex digestive system and relationship with bacteria, colobus monkeys are extremely successful in rainforest habitats in both Africa and Asia. Other Old World monkeys appear to be in direct competition with colobus monkeys for food. However, because of the unique digestive abilities of colobus monkeys, they eat very different proportions of shared resources, and competition is thus less extreme with other Old World monkeys.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Pennant's red colobus search for food in the upper division of the forest and tend to eat in the morning and again in the evening. Their diet consists of foliage in the form of immature leaves and shoots, as well as seeds and fruits. Colobus monkeys have complex stomachs capable of fermentation, allowing them to break down difficult plant materials like cellulose. Because of this fermenting process ripe, sugary fruits result in excess gas and acid formation when eaten. This causes pain and could result in death. Therefore, this species can only digest fruits that are unripe and tough. Pennant's red colobus have also been known to eat fungi and even termite clay.
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Not much is known about the reproduction of Pennant's red colobus, though the reproduction of other species in the subfamily Colobinae is likely similar. The genital area of females swells during estrus. Females use "social presenting" to signal that they are ready to mate. Colobus monkeys breed in a sort of "communal marriage" in which females ready to mate and males retreat from the larger group. Colobus monkeys are polygynous, meaning each male breeds with multiple females.
Mating System: polygynous ; cooperative breeder
There is no specific breeding season for colobus monkeys, and females give birth approximately every two years. Pennant's red colobus Piliocolobus pennantii give birth to one offspring at a time. The gestation period of this particular species is not known, but the gestation period of other colobus monkeys ranges from five to seven months. After gestation, female colobus monkeys leave the group, accompanied by a single male, and do not return until a day after the birth. In Africa, female Colobinae tend to reach sexual maturity between 3 and 4 years and males between 5 and 6 years.
Breeding interval: Pennant's red colobus breed approximately once every 2 years.
Breeding season: There is no specific breeding season for Pennant's red colobus.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 5 to 7 months.
Average time to independence: 8 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 to 4 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 5 to 6 years.
Key Reproductive Features: year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
For the first 1 to 3.5 months after birth of Pennant's red colobus, generally only the mother handles the infant. After this time, other group members help care for the young. Mother Pennant's red colobus allow their offspring to hang from their bellies for about 8 months. Young of both sexes have genital regions that mimic those of adult females. This is thought to protect unidentifiably male youth from being expelled from the group by adult males.
Parental Investment: female parental care ; pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents; extended period of juvenile learning
The Niger Coastal Delta is an enormous classic distributary system located in West Africa, which stretches more than 300 kilometres wide and serves to capture most of the heavy silt load carried by the Niger River. The peak discharge at the mouth is around 21,800 cubic metres per second in mid-October. The Niger Delta coastal region is arguably the wettest place in Africa with an annual rainfall of over 4000 millimetres. Vertebrate species richness is relatively high in the Niger Delta, although vertebrate endemism is quite low. The Niger Delta swamp forests occupy the entire upper coastal delta. Historically the most important timber species of the inner delta was the Abura (Fleroya ledermannii), a Vulnerable swamp-loving West African tree, which has been reduced below populations viable for timber harvesting in the Niger Delta due to recent over-harvesting of this species as well as general habitat destruction of the delta due to the expanding human population here. Other plants prominent in the inner delta flood forest are: the Azobe tree (Lophira alata), the Okhuen tree (Ricinodendron heudelotii ), the Bitter Bark Tree (Sacoglottis gabonensis), the Rough-barked Flat-top Tree (Albizia adianthifolia), and Pycnanthus angolensis. Also present in its native range is the African Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)
There are a number of notable mammals present in the upper (or inner) coastal delta in addition to the Critically Endangered Niger Delta Red Colubus (Procolobus pennantii ssp. epieni), which primate is endemic to the Niger Delta. The near-endemic White-cheeked Guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster, VU) is found in the inner delta. The Endangered Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is also found in the inner delta. The limited range Black Duiker (Cephalophus niger) is fournd in the inner delta and is a near-endemic to the Niger River Basin. The restricted distribution Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona), a primate often associated with rivers, is found here in the Niger Delta. The Near Threatened Olive Colobus (Procolobus verus) is restricted to coastal forests of West Africa and is found here in the upper delta.
Some of the reptiles found in the upper coastal Niger Delta are the African Banded Snake (Chamaelycus fasciatus); the West African Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis, VU); the African Slender-snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus); the Benin Agama (Agama gracilimembris); the Owen's Chameleon (Chamaeleo oweni); the limited range Marsh Snake (Natriciteres fuliginoides); the rather widely distributed Black-line Green Snake (Hapsidophrys lineatus); Cross's Beaked Snake (Rhinotyphlops crossii), an endemic to the Niger Basin as a whole; Morquard's File Snake (Mehelya guirali); the Dull Purple-glossed Snake (Amblyodipsas unicolor); the Rhinoceros Viper (Bitis nasicornis). In addition several of the reptiles found in the outer delta are found within this inner delta area.
Five threatened marine turtle species are found in the mangroves of the lower coastal delta: Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coricea, EN), Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta, EN), Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea, EN), Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretomychelys imbricata, CR), and Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas, EN).
Other reptiles found in the outer NIger Delta are the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), African Softshell Turtle (Trionyx triunguis), African Rock Python (Python sebae), Boomslang Snake (Dispholidus typus), Cabinda Lidless Skink (Panaspis cabindae), Neon Blue Tailed Tree Lizard (Holaspis guentheri), Fischer's Dwarf Gecko (Lygodactylus fischeri), Richardson's Leaf-Toed Gecko (Hemidactylus richardsonii), Spotted Night Adder (Causus maculatus), Tholloni's African Water Snake (Grayia tholloni), Smith's African Water Snake (Grayia smythii), Small-eyed File Snake (Mehelya stenophthalmus), Western Forest File Snake (Mehelya poensis), Western Crowned Snake (Meizodon coronatus), Western Green Snake (Philothamnus irregularis), Variable Green Snake (Philothamnus heterodermus), Slender Burrowing Asp (Atractaspis aterrima), Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca), Rough-scaled Bush Viper (Atheris squamigera), and Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus).
There are a limited number of amphibians in the inner coastal delta including the Marble-legged Frog (Hylarana galamensis). At the extreme eastern edge of the upper delta is a part of the lower Niger and Cross River watersheds that drains the Cross-Sanaka Bioko coastal forests, where the near endemic anuran Cameroon Slippery Frog (Conraua robusta) occurs.
Pennant's colobus or Pennant's red colobus (Piliocolobus pennantii) is a species of tree-dwelling primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is endemic to tropical Central Africa. Three subspecies have traditionally been recognised but its distribution is peculiarly disjunct and has been considered a biogeographical puzzle, with one population on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea), a second in the Niger River Delta in southern Nigeria, and a third in east-central Republic of Congo.[1][3] It is found in rainforests and marshy forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat.
Pennant's colobus was first described in 1838 by George Robert Waterhouse, curator at the Zoological Society of London's museum, and was named in honour of the naturalist and traveller Thomas Pennant. Three subspecies of this red colobus are traditionally recognized:[1] The Bioko red colobus (Procolobus pennantii pennantii), the Niger Delta red colobus (Procolobus pennantii epieni) and Bouvier's red colobus (Procolobus pennantii bouvieri). However, Groves (2007) raised P. p. epieni, and P. p. bouvieri to Piliocolobus epieni and Piliocolobus bouvieri, respectively (this nomenclature has been followed here).[4][5] Ting agreed that preliminary genetic evidence supported elevating P. epieni at least.[2]
The word "colobus" comes from Greek κολοβός, meaning "cut short", and is so named because of the significant reduction in size, or complete lack of an opposable thumb in comparison to other primates.[6] To make up for this, they have four long digits that align to form a strong hook, allowing them to easily grasp branches and climb.[7]
Pennant's red colobus is a moderate-sized species with a head and body length of 53 to 63 centimetres (21 to 25 in) and a tail of 60 to 70 centimetres (24 to 28 in). It weighs about 7 to 10 kilograms (15 to 22 lb).[8] It has a small head and robust body with long limbs. The long fingers have a powerful grip for climbing about among the branches, but it has no thumbs. The colouration varies between subspecies, being black or some shade of brown with chestnut-brown or reddish face, arms and legs and pale underparts. The black face is crowned with long hair, usually parted in the middle.[9] Red colobus monkeys have a long tail used only for balancing which is not prehensile.[7]
Pennant's red colobus is found in several locations in western Central Africa. The nominate subspecies, P. p. pennantii is endemic to Bioko, an island 32 kilometres (20 mi) off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. The monkeys are largely restricted to the south-west part of the island and have a total range of less than 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi). The suggestion that this species has been found on Pico Basile, the highest mountain on the island, has been discounted. Fewer than five thousand animals in this sub-species are believed to exist, with number falling substantially between 1986 and 2006. The Bouvier's red colobus occurs in the Republic of Congo in the tract of land on the right bank of the lower Congo River and along the lower reaches of the River Alima to the mouth of the River Likouala-aux-Herbes, both being tributaries of the Congo River. The Niger Delta red colobus is found between the Forcados-Nikrogha Creek and the Sagbama-Osiama-Agboi Creek in the wet forests of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.[2] Pennant's red colobus is an arboreal species and is found in both primary and secondary forest and also in marshy forest.[8]
Like other red colobus monkeys, Pennant's red colobus lives in troops which may consist of twelve to eighty individuals occupying a territory of 25 to 150 hectares. The troops have several males and a rather larger number of females and juveniles. They move through the canopy with agility, leaping from tree to tree and making use of the elasticity of the branches.[9] The gestation period is probably about five months before a single infant is born.[9]
Pennant's red colobus monkeys have been little studied but their diet is likely to be similar to that of other red colobus monkeys and consist mainly of fresh leaves supplemented by flowers, fruit and seeds. They have specialist teeth that can macerate leaves and break up tough but pliant unripe fruit and the seeds embedded in the flesh. Their multi-chambered stomach permits fermentation to occur and they can alternate between a leaf-based and a seed-based diet. They tend to select foliage with a high protein to fibre ratio and a low tannin content.[10] One of their favourite food trees is Fleroya ledermannii.[2]
The nominate subspecies P. p. pennantii is listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN in its Red List of Threatened Species because its range on the island of Bioko is less than 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi) and its population size is decreasing due to it being hunted for bushmeat.[2] In 2006, the population on Bioko Island was estimated to be smaller than 5000 individuals.[2] The Niger Delta red colobus is listed as "Critically Endangered" due to the fact that its habitat in the Niger Delta is being degraded by logging and the monkeys are hunted for food. Its population has declined by 80% during a period of thirty years.[11] The Bouvier's red colobus has declined dramatically in numbers and is also listed as "Critically Endangered", although its status was elevated to "Endangered" in 2019. After not having been seen since the 1970s, it was considered possibly extinct until spotted and photographed in 2015 in Ntokou-Pikounda National Park in the Republic of the Congo (the first photograph of P. bouvieri). The subspecies is likely on the brink of extinction.[12][13]
Pennant's colobus or Pennant's red colobus (Piliocolobus pennantii) is a species of tree-dwelling primate in the family Cercopithecidae. It is endemic to tropical Central Africa. Three subspecies have traditionally been recognised but its distribution is peculiarly disjunct and has been considered a biogeographical puzzle, with one population on the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea), a second in the Niger River Delta in southern Nigeria, and a third in east-central Republic of Congo. It is found in rainforests and marshy forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat.
