Collared mangabey [1] | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Cercopithecidae |
Genus: | Cercocebus |
Species: | C. torquatus
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Binomial name | |
Cercocebus torquatus (
Kerr, 1792)
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Geographic range |
The collared mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), also called red-capped mangabey and white-collared mangabey, [3] is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae of Old World monkeys. It formerly included the sooty mangabey as a subspecies. As presently defined, the collared mangabey is monotypic. [1]
The collared mangabey has grey fur covering its body, but its common names refer to the colours on its head and neck. [4] Its prominent chestnut-red cap gives it the name red-capped, and its white collar gives it the names collared and white-collared. [4] Its ears are black and it has striking white eyelids, which is why some refer to it as the "four-eyed monkey". [4] It has a dark grey tail that exceeds the length of the body and is often held with the white tip over its head. [4] It has long molars and very large incisors. [5] The average body mass for captive individuals ranges from 9 to 10 kg (20 to 22 lb) for males and 7.5 to 8.6 kg (17 to 19 lb) for females. [5] Head-body length is 47–67 cm (19–26 in) in males and 45–60 cm (18–24 in) in females. [4]
The collared mangabey is found in coastal, swamp, mangrove, and valley forests, from western Nigeria, east and south into Cameroon, and throughout Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon, and on the Gabon-Congo border by the Atlantic shore. [2]
The collared mangabey lives in large groups of 10 to 35 individuals including several males. [6] Vocal communication in the form of cackles and barks are used to keep the group in contact and signal their position to other groups. It has a diet of fruits and seeds, but also eats leaves, foliage, flowers, invertebrates, mushrooms, dung, and gum. [5] [6] The collared mangabey has no defined breeding season, it reaches sexual maturity at five to seven years, and has an average gestation period of 170 days. [6]
In 2006, it was estimated that annually about 3,000 collared mangabeys are hunted in the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests for the bushmeat trade. [7]
The collared mangabey is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and hunting for bushmeat. [2] It is also listed on Appendix II of CITES and on Class B of the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. [2]