Red colobus  (Piliocolobus badius)

Description

The red colobus, like other colobus species, has just a bump in place of the thumb, indeed, colobus means ‘docked’ in Greek, but the other fingers are particularly long. This monkey differs from other colobus species as the fur is of even length over the whole body, with no tufts of longer fur. Whilst the subspecies differ in size and colouration, they are mainly black, grey or brown above with red or chestnut arms, legs and head (2). Around the pubic area the fur is white, and juveniles of both sexes have female-like genital swellings, possibly to prevent mature males evicting young males before they have matured (5). The red colobus does not have cheek pouches (6). Taxonomic relationships within this species, and with other taxa of red colobus, are widely debated by experts and require clarification.

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