Species profile
About the angola colobus
The Angola colobus differs from the guereza in the shape of its white markings: instead of a full flank mantle it wears long white shoulder epaulettes and white cheek whiskers, giving it a distinctly hooded look. The tail is white-tipped rather than fully plumed.
In Tanzania it occurs in the western forests around Lake Tanganyika, including Mahale Mountains National Park, and in a separate coastal population in the eastern forests. It is another leaf specialist, moving in noisy troops through the mid and upper canopy.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Diurnal and arboreal, moving through the canopy in long leaps. Rests through the middle of the day while foliage is digested.
Social life
Troops of roughly six to twenty, usually with a single adult male; in some areas troops combine into large temporary aggregations.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
Long white shoulder epaulettes and cheek whiskers, and a thumbless hand shared with all colobus monkeys.