Agile mangabey
| Agile mangabey[1] | |
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| Agile mangabey, on the top | |
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C. agilis
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| Binomial name | |
| Cercocebus agilis (Milne-Edwards, 1886)
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| Agile mangabey range | |
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The agile mangabey (Cercocebus agilis) is an Old World monkey of the white-eyelid mangabey group found in swampy forests of Central Africa in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, and DR Congo.[1] Until 1978, it was considered a subspecies of the Tana River mangabey (C. galeritus).[3] More recently, the golden-bellied mangabey (C. chrysogaster) has been considered a separate species instead of a subspecies of the agile mangabey.[1]
Physical characteristics
The agile mangabey has a short, overall dull olive-grey pelage.[4] The bare skin of the face and feet is blackish.[5] Males are 51–65 centimeters (20–26 in) in length and weigh about 7–13 kilograms (15–29 lb), while the smaller females are 44–55 centimeters (17–22 in) and weigh 5–7 kilograms (11–15 lb).[4]
Behavior
Similar to other mangabeys, they are diurnal.[3] Although generally arboreal, they do spend a significant portion of their time (12–22%) on the ground,[5] especially during the dry season. It is typically more commonly heard than seen,[4] and males have a loud, species-specific call that is believed to be used to space themselves out.[3] Other calls are also used to maintain group cohesion and warn of predators.[5] Group size can be as high as 18 members, led by a single adult male. Group meetings can be friendly and may involve exchange of members. Adult males not in groups often travel singly.[4]
Diet
Fruit makes up a major portion of the agile mangabey diet. They are known to eat at least 42 different species of fruit.[5] Their tooth structure and powerful jaws allows them to open tough pods and fruits that many other monkeys can not access.[5] Agile mangabeys eat from a number of dominant swamp-forest trees, including dika nuts and sugar plums, when they are fruiting.[4] They also eat fresh leaf shoots from raffia palms when fruits are scarce. Grasses and mushrooms,[4] as well as insects, other invertebrates, bird's eggs and some vertebrate prey, such as rodents, are also eaten.[5]
Other
Agile mangabeys are known to contract T-cell leukemia virus, similar to the leukemia virus that infects humans.[6] There is also evidence that they contract Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a virus related to human HIV that infects certain apes and monkeys.[7] They have rarely been kept in captivity,[5] with only three individuals held in ISIS registered institutions in July 2008.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Hart, J., Butynski, T. M. & Kingdon, J. (2008). Cercocebus agilis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
