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Red-tailed monkey Facts

Red-tailed monkey Facts
Red-tailed monkey is a primate that belongs to the family of Old World monkeys. There are 5 subspecies of red-tailed monkey that can be found in sub-Saharan Africa. Red-tailed monkey inhabits lowland forests, tropical rainforests and swampy forests. Habitat loss (due to accelerated deforestation) is the major threat for the survival of red-tail monkeys in the wild. These animals are also targeted by farmers who kill them to protect their crops (such as maize, banana, bean, mullet and pineapples). Despite these factors, red-tailed monkeys are numerous and widespread in the wild.
Interesting Red-tailed monkey Facts:
Red-tailed monkey can reach 15 to 18 inches in length and 6.6 to 10.3 pounds of weight. Males are larger than females. Red-tailed monkey has yellow-brown coat, gray or black limbs, black face, white nose and cheeks and bluish skin around eyes. It has brown-reddish tail, hence the name: red-tailed monkey.
Red-tailed monkey has rounded head, large cheek pouches, long hind legs and long tail.
Cheek pouches are designed for storing of food that can be consumed later. Food stored in cheek pouches can easily fill stomachs of red-tailed monkeys.
Red-tailed monkey spends its life on the trees (arboreal animal). It has prehensile tail which is used as additional limb to facilitate movement in the treetops.
Red-tailed monkey is diurnal animal (active during the day).
Red-tailed monkey is an omnivore (it eats plants and meat). Its diet is mostly based on fruit. Other than that, it eats flowers, bud, leaves and insects.
Red-tailed monkeys live in groups (called troops) made of 17 to 40 animals. Each troop consists of one dominant male and large number of females and juveniles.
Red-tailed monkeys communicate using the body language. They use nose-to-nose touching as a greeting sign. Red-tailed monkeys widely open their eyes, raise eyebrows and perform head-bobbing when they want to eliminate intruders.
Red-tailed monkey uses bird-like chirps to inform other members of the group about potential danger.
Natural enemies of red-tailed monkeys are chimpanzees, leopards and eagles.
Red-tailed monkeys are able to breed all year round (mating season reaches peak from November to February).
Pregnancy in females lasts 6 months and ends with one baby (infant). Baby learn to climb on the trees soon after birth. Other females in the group participate in the rearing of the youngsters. Red-tailed monkeys attain adult coloration at the age of 2 to 3 months. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 (females) to 6 (males) years.
Females stay within their family groups. Males leave their native groups and live in bachelor troops until they become strong enough to form their own groups.
Red-tailed monkey can survive around 16 years in the wild and more than 30 years in the captivity.


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