Roloway Monkey
Encyclopedia
The Roloway monkey is a species of Old World monkey
found in a small area of eastern Côte d'Ivoire
and the forests of Ghana
, between the Sassandra
and Pra River
s.
The Roloway monkey is similar to other species of guenon
s but is distinguished by its lengthy beard. The Roloway Monkey's coat and face are predominantly black, while the throat and the interior side of its arms are white, and its hips and back are orange. The body length varies between 40 and 55 centimetres and its weight is between 4 and 7 kilograms.
The species is arboreal, and forms social groups of
15 to 30 individuals. Its diet is composed of fruits, flowers, seeds and insects.
The Roloway monkey is among the most threatened primate
s on the African continent, although exact figures for the species are not available. Recent surveys could not find evidence of it in Ghana's Bia National Park
, where it was probably eliminated between mid 1970s and 1990. There are estimates are that there probably has been a population decline of at least 80% over the last three generation
s. The species is listed as one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates
."
The Roloway monkey was previously considered a subspecies of the Diana monkey
(Cercopithecus diana).
Old World monkey
The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, inhabiting a range of environments from tropical rain forest to savanna, shrubland and mountainous...
found in a small area of eastern Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and the forests of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, between the Sassandra
Sassandra River
The Sassandra River is a river of western Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa. It is formed by the confluence of the Tienba River, which originates in the highlands of northwestern Côte d'Ivoire, and the Gouan River , which originates to the west in the highlands of Guinea...
and Pra River
Pra River (Ghana)
The Pra River is a river in Ghana, the easternmost and the largest of the three principal rivers that drain the area south of the Volta divide. Rising in the Kwahu Plateau near Mpraeso and flowing southward for 240 km through rich cocoa and farming areas and valuable forests in the Akan...
s.
The Roloway monkey is similar to other species of guenon
Guenon
The guenons are the genus Cercopithecus of Old World monkeys. Not all the members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names, and because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have common names that do include the word "guenon"...
s but is distinguished by its lengthy beard. The Roloway Monkey's coat and face are predominantly black, while the throat and the interior side of its arms are white, and its hips and back are orange. The body length varies between 40 and 55 centimetres and its weight is between 4 and 7 kilograms.
The species is arboreal, and forms social groups of
Group size measures
Many animals, including humans, tend to live in groups, herds, flocks, bands, packs, shoals, or colonies of conspecific individuals. The size of these groups, as expressed by the number of participant individuals, is an important aspect of their social environment...
15 to 30 individuals. Its diet is composed of fruits, flowers, seeds and insects.
The Roloway monkey is among the most threatened primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s on the African continent, although exact figures for the species are not available. Recent surveys could not find evidence of it in Ghana's Bia National Park
Bia National Park
Bia National Park is a national park in the Western Region of Ghana. It is also a biosphere reserve with a 563 square kilometer resource reserve. It has some of Ghana's last remnants of relatively untouched forest complete with its full diversity of wildlife...
, where it was probably eliminated between mid 1970s and 1990. There are estimates are that there probably has been a population decline of at least 80% over the last three generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
s. The species is listed as one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates
The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates
The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates is a list of highly endangered primate species selected and published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group , the International Primatological Society , and Conservation International...
."
The Roloway monkey was previously considered a subspecies of the Diana monkey
Diana Monkey
The Diana monkey is an Old World monkey found in West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Côte d'Ivoire.The Diana monkey ranges from 40 to 55 cm in length, excluding its tail, which is of a uniform 3–4 cm diameter and 50–75 cm long. Adults weigh between 4–7 kg...
(Cercopithecus diana).