
Friday 25 January
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Mammalia |
Order | Primates |
Family | Cercopithecidae |
Genus | Cercopithecus (1) |
The red-eared guenon (Cercopithecus erythrotis) is a small, brightly coloured monkey with distinctive facial markings. It has blue fur around its eyes, a brick-red nose and ears, and yellow cheeks (3) (4). While the majority of its silky coat is brown agouti, the red-eared guenon has grey limbs and a red tail (3).
Guenons have extremely long tails which are vital for agility and balance. Infants use their tails like a prehensile limb to cling to the female (4).
A shy species (1), the red-eared guenon produces a quiet trill, unlike other guenons that give loud, long-distance calls (3) (4).
Guenon species are omnivorous, and the red-eared guenon is known to eat fruits, leaves, shoots and insects (3) (4) (5). Insects are important for nutrition, especially for pregnant and lactating females (4).
The red-eared guenon has a small range on mainland Africa, from the Cross River in southeast Nigeria to just south of the Sanaga River in Cameroon. It is also found on the island of Bioko in Equatorial Guinea (1).
An arboreal species, the red-eared guenon is found in lowland tropical and sub-montane forests. On the island of Bioko it has been known to live in close proximity to humans (1).
The red-eared guenon population is thought to have declined by 30 percent over the last 27 years. Habitat loss as a result of deforestation for timber and farm land is thought to be the main threat to this species, and it is also hunted for the bushmeat trade (1).
The red-eared guenon occurs in a number of protected reserves, most notably the Cross River National Park in Nigeria, Korup National Park in Cameroon, and the Gran Caldera and Southern Highlands Scientific Reserve on the island of Bioko (1) (5).
Find out more about primate conservation and the bushmeat trade:
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk
Image credit
© Tim Laman / naturepl.com
Nature Picture Library
5a Great George Street
Bristol
BS1 5RR
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 117 911 4675
Fax: +44 (0) 117 911 4699
info@naturepl.com
http://www.naturepl.com
Link to this photo
Embed this Arkive thumbnail link ("portlet") by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed portlet may be used as a link from your website to Arkive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite Arkive images and videos and share them with friends.
Play the Team WILD game:
Team WILD, an elite squadron of science superheroes, needs your help! Your mission: protect and conserve the planet’s species and habitats from destruction.