Class: Mammalia

Order: Primates

Scientific Name: Cercocebus galeritus chrysogaster

Range: Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya and Tanzania

Habitat: Rain forest

Diet: Wild: Palm nuts, seeds, leaves

Gestation: About six months

Description:

These are medium-sized monkeys, restricted to forests and closely related to the baboons. Head and body length ranges from 17 to 33 inches. Males weigh up to 22.5 lbs, and females up to 12 lbs. The brownish species, C. galeritus and C. torquatus, and considered to be closely related to each other, and widely separated from the blackish species, C. albigena and C. aterrimus. All have tails longer than their bodies. Females are smaller than males. Their large, strong incisor teeth allow mangabeys to exploit hard seeds which are not accessible to guenons, with which they share habitats. General coloration is a dull yellowish-brown. The hair on top of the head forms a crest, similar to that of the langurs.

Behavior: Mangabeys are terrestrial, and live in large groups which include several males. The eastern populations are scattered and separated from the western ones by thousands of kilometers. They are very vocal, and the adult male has a dramatically loud long-distance call, while the adult females of a group also perform loud choruses.

Reproduction: Pregnancy lasts about six months, and there is no evidence of breeding seasonality. Infants are the same color as adults.

Did You Know?

• Also known as: Agile Mangabey; Tana River Mangabey
• The Genus name, Cercocebus, is from the Greek kerkos, 'the tail' and kebos, 'a moneky.' Mangabeys have long tails. The species name, galeritus, is from the Latin, 'wearing a hood, or skull cap.' The sub-species name, chrysogaster, is from the Greek khrusos, 'golden' and gaster, 'the belly.'

Where in the Zoo? I can be found in the Old World Monkey Exhibits at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.