Geographic Range
Species of collared mangabey are found in West Africa and distributed from Guinea to Gabon.
(Wilson, 1993)
Habitat
Collared mangabeys are arboreal as well as terrestrial, but they mainly inhabit lower levels of the forests, especially in swamp forests. Their flexibility on the ground and among the trees allows them to have a rather broad range of habitat, including swamp and agricultural areas. Collared mangabeys typically use the trees to obtain foods and as a haven for hiding and sleeping, but they usually escape enemies and predators (leopards and eagles) terrestrially (on the ground).
(Parker, 1990 and Hill, 1974)
Physical Description
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
Reproduction
Most collared mangabey reach sexual maturity at age 5-7 years. The gestation period lasts for about 170 days, and a female gives birth to only a single young each time. The average weight of each young is unknown. It seems that collared mangabeys lack a well-defined breeding period; however, most of our information derives from species living in captivity and little is known about their reproduction in the wild.
(Parker, 1990 and Hill, 1974)
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
- Parental Investment
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
- extended period of juvenile learning
Lifespan/Longevity
Behavior
Collared mangabeys are found in social groups containing 10-35 individuals. These groups contain several males, and most of them coexist peacefully and rarely display any type of dominance behavior. Each member within a group exhibits very expressive behavior. It walks with its tail arched over its back, with the white tip held just above its head. The tail movement and the tapping of its head may provide social cues or serve as a form of communication with other members of the group. In addition, many collared mangabeys display by continuously lifting and lowering their conspicuous white eyelids.
(Parker, 1990 and Hill, 1974)
Communication and Perception
Food Habits
Similar to other species of Cercocebus, collared mangabeys feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, young leaves, grass, mushrooms, and invertebrates.
(Parker, 1990)
- Primary Diet
- omnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
- Other Foods
- fungus
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Many natives allege the collar mangabeys raid plantations, causing severe damage to crops.
(Parker, 1990 and Hill, 1974)
Conservation Status
Other Comments
Cerocebus is Greek for "tail monkey." (Hill, 1974)
Additional Links
Contributors
Khoa Huu Nguyen (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Ethiopian
-
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Grzimek, Bernhard. 1972. Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol 10. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York.
Hill, W.C. Osman. 1974. Primates. Vol VII. Halsted Press, New York.
Inskipp, Tim, and J. Barzdo. 1987. World Checklist of Threatened Mammals. Published by the Nature Conservancy Council.
Nowak, Ronald. 1991. Wlaker's Mammals of the World. 5th Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London.
Parker, Sybil. 1990. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol 2. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., New York.
Wilson, D.E. and D. M. Reader. 1993. Mammal Species of the World. 2nd Edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washingtion and London.