Red Colobus
Red colobus monkeys are closely related to the black-and-white colobus monkeys. These relatively sizeable red-grey monkeys have few distinguishing features other than their slightly tufted crown. They are highly sociable and live in scattered troops of 50 or more animals.
About 15 races of red colobus are recognized, many of which are considered by some authorities to be distinct species.
In Uganda, red colobus monkeys are common in Kibale Forest National Park and its environs, especially in the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. However, they do also occur in small numbers in Semuliki National Park.
Red colobus habitats
This species occurs in various forest types, including riverine and gallery forest, forest-miombo savanna mosaic, old-growth lowland, mid-altitude, and montane moist rain forest, degraded secondary forests, and raphia palm swamps.
In Kibale, the red colobus monkey is most abundant in the moist, old-growth, evergreen forest with emergent trees reaching 50 meters in height. It can persist in the lightly logged forest as long as essential food trees remain.
Ashy Red Colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) has recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2019 and is listed as Endangered to extinction under criteria A4bc.
The Author, Bert Baguma
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