Mammals · Primates · Cercopithecidae

Wolf's Monkey

Cercopithecus wolfi

Least Concern

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

Wolf's monkey is one of the most colourful primates of the Congo basin: a marbled grey back, reddish hind legs, black arms and yellow or reddish side-whiskers framing the face. It lives in groups of one male and several females in the middle storey of the forest, and often forms mixed groups with other guenons and with colobus monkeys. Its diet is mainly fruit, supplemented with leaves and insects.

Weight

2.5 kg – 5 kg

Size

40 cm – 55 cm

Lifespan

26 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestHerbivore Omnivore Diurnal Rainforest Mammal

6countries 4parks44same family

Fun facts

It regularly associates with other monkey species to form mixed groups: each species occupies a different storey of the forest and provides a different kind of watchfulness, which reduces the risk of being taken by surprise for all of them.
Its cheek pouches can hold as much fruit as its stomach, which lets it strip a contested tree quickly and withdraw to eat without competition.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Primary and secondary rainforest and swamp forest of the Congo basin
Sexual maturity: 4.6 years
Gestation / incubation: 5.6 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/