Mammals · Primates · Cercopithecidae

De Brazza’s Monkey

Cercopithecus neglectus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

De Brazza's monkey is one of the most recognisable African primates: a prominent white beard, a crescent-shaped orange band across the forehead and thighs with a white stripe. It always lives near water, in swamp and riverine forest, and unlike other guenons it is highly unobtrusive: when it senses danger it freezes absolutely still in the vegetation rather than fleeing noisily.

Weight

3.5 kg – 9 kg

Size

40 cm – 63 cm

Lifespan

30 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestFreshwaterOmnivore Diurnal Rainforest Freshwater Mammal

23countries 15parks44same family

Fun facts

GeneralIts white beard gives it the look of an old man; faced with danger it freezes rather than flees.
Its strategy in the face of danger is to freeze: it can stay completely motionless in the foliage for hours, and that stillness makes it so hard to spot that it is considered one of the most undercounted African primates in surveys.
Its white beard and orange brow band have made it one of the most recognisable monkeys in the world's zoos, though in the wild hardly anyone sees it.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Swamp forest, gallery forest and riverine rainforest of equatorial Africa, always close to water
Sexual maturity: 4.4 years
Gestation / incubation: 5.8 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercopithecus_neglectus