Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Cercopithecidae
- Genus
- Piliocolobus
Habitat
This species is primarily found in the riverine forests and gallery forests along the Tana River in eastern Kenya. They prefer areas with dense canopy cover near water sources, avoiding open savannas. These habitats provide essential resources like food and shelter from predators.
Diet
The Tana River red colobus mainly feeds on leaves, fruits, and flowers from trees such as figs and acacias. They are folivorous, spending much of their day foraging in the canopy for young leaves and ripe fruits. Feeding activity peaks in the early morning and late afternoon.
Behavior
They live in multi-male, multi-female troops of 20-50 individuals, with a dominant male leading the group. These monkeys are diurnal and highly arboreal, spending most of their time in trees and communicating through loud calls to maintain social bonds and alert for danger. They exhibit territorial behavior by defending their feeding areas from neighboring troops.
Conservation Status
The IUCN status is Endangered, with populations declining due to habitat loss from agriculture and logging. Major threats also include hunting and human encroachment.