About Piliocolobus badius (Kerr, 1792)
Size
Piliocolobus badius, commonly called the western red colobus, reaches a head-and-body length of 450 to 670 mm (18 to 26 in), a tail length of 520 to 800 mm (20 to 31 in), and a body weight between 5 and 11 kg (11 and 24 lb).
Pelage Coloration
This primate has a red or chestnut-brown head and limbs, and black, slatey-grey, or dark brown upper parts. It lacks long hair fringes and tail hair tufts.
Morphological Distinctions
When compared to Colobus genus monkeys, the western red colobus has V-shaped nostrils, long digits, and a short big toe.
Endemic Range
This red colobus is endemic to tropical West Africa.
Population Distribution
It has multiple fragmentary populations in Sierra Leone, and continuous populations in Liberia, Guinea, and western Ivory Coast.
Subspecies Range Boundaries
The exact boundary where the ranges of P. b. badius and P. b. temminckii meet is unclear, but P. b. badius populations are separated from P. b. waldronae by the Bandama River in Ivory Coast.
Habitat
The western red colobus is an arboreal species, most commonly found in primary rainforest, and also lives in secondary forest and gallery forest.
Colony Size
The red colobus lives in social colonies that contain between 12 and 80 individuals.
Colony Demographics
Colonies usually have multiple adult males, and up to three times as many adult females as males.
Social Hierarchy
A social hierarchy exists within colonies that regulates access to food, space, and grooming.
