Red-eared guenon (Cercopithecus erythrotis)

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)}.

Also known as

red-eared monkey, Russet-eared guenon.

French

Moustac À Oreilles Rouges.

Spanish

Mono De Orejas Rojas.

Size

Head-body length: 36 - 51 cm ⁽³⁾

Male weight: 3.6 kg ⁽³⁾

Female weight: 2.9 kg ⁽³⁾

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 is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List ⁽¹⁾ and listed on Appendix II of CITES ⁽²⁾. Subspecies: the Cameroon red-eared monkey (C. e. camerunensis) and the Bioko red-eared guenon (C. e. erythrotis) are listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List ⁽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)}.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Find out more about primate conservation and the bushmeat trade:

• Centre for Education, Research and Conservation of Primates and Nature (CERCOPAN):
  http://www.cercopan.org/
• The Bushmeat Crisis Task Force:
  http://www.bushmeat.org/

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

This species information was authored as part of the Arkive and Universities Scheme.

Arboreal

An animal which lives or spends a large amount of time in trees.

Gestation

The state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.

Montane forest

Forest occurring in mountains.

Omnivorous

Feeding on both plants and animals.

Prehensile

Capable of grasping.

Territorial

Describes an animal, a pair of animals or a group that occupies and defends an area.

1. IUCN Red List (November, 2012)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org/
2. CITES (November, 2012)
   http://www.cites.org/
3. Macdonald, D. (2010) The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
4. CERCOPAN - Guenons (November, 2012)
   http://www.cercopan.org/Primates/guenons.htm
5. Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (BBPP) (November, 2012)
   http://www.bioko.org/index.php