Guereza

Guereza — The Mantled Guereza (Colobus guereza), also known simply as the Guereza, the Eastern Black-and-white Colobus, or the Abyssinian Black-and-white Colobus, is a colobus monkey, a kind of Old World monkey. It is native to much of west central and east Africa, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Chad.

This black-and-white colobus species grows to about 18-28 inches, with a 20-35 inch tail. It weighs 12-32 pounds. It has no cheek pouches, and, like most colobi, the thumb is nearly absent. Its coat is a glossy black with its face and rump surrounded by white and a U-shaped white mantle on its sides and rear of back. Its tail is white at the end. Young are all white. The point of its nose nearly touches its mouth. Its hind legs are long and well-muscled for leaping through the trees and bounding along branches. Its rump callouses allow it to sit for long periods of time on slender branches without discomfort.

Diurnal and arboreal, it lives in the uppermost branches of tropical forests, woodlands and wooded grassland (where it may travel on the ground), including lowlands and high elevations. It is most abundant in secondary forests or along rivers. The Mantled Guereza’s digestive system is designed to process leaves; its stomach is enlarged, specialized and contains bacteria for fermentation. It will also occasionally eat flowers, twigs, buds, seeds and shoots. Fruit makes up about a third of its diet.