One of the 6 colobuses on WAnimals
Mammals · Primates · Cercopithecidae
Preuss’s Red Colobus
Piliocolobus preussi
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
Preuss's red colobus is a catarrhine primate of the family Cercopithecidae, endemic to the Cameroon region. One population lives in Korup National Park, in the South-West Region of Cameroon, but its distribution there is localised. The species is also thought to occur in Cross River National Park in Nigeria, and reports suggest that some groups survive in the Nkwende Hills and the Nta Ali forest reserve in the Korup region. Another population is found in the Ebo forest, in the Littoral Region of Cameroon.
Weight
6 kg – 10 kg
Size
45 cm – 67 cm
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
Fun facts
- The red colobus monkeys are the African primate group with the most threatened species: when a hunter shoots, the group does not flee but bunches together and calls, which allows several animals to be killed one after another and explains how quickly they disappear wherever commercial hunting arrives.
- Its total population may be below a thousand animals, scattered across forest fragments around the Gulf of Guinea.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Primary lowland and montane rainforest of south-western Cameroon and south-eastern Nigeria
- Gestation / incubation
- 6 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piliocolobus_preussi
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Preuss’s Red Colobus — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Black Colobus
Colobus satanas
Preuss’s Monkey
Allochrocebus preussi
Drill
Mandrillus leucophaeus
Mona Monkey
Cercopithecus mona
Putty-nosed Monkey
Cercopithecus nictitans
Red-capped Mangabey
Cercocebus torquatus
How to help
The preuss’s red colobus is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about preuss’s red colobus.
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