Red Colobus Monkey

There’s Cute, and then There’s… Colobus cute!
The Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey is endemic to Unguja, or, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. It could very well be one of the cutest monkeys on the planet. Like Zanzibar itself, the Red Colobus is also a unique animal with plenty of zest and interest.!

And now, onto the Monkey…

Let’s start with a quick description of our new found friend.  Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys are tree-dwelling herbivores.  They have a lightweight bone structure that helps them to leap between trees.  They also possess a long tail that is only used for balancing.  Red Colobus Monkeys are found in three forests of the Zanzibar archipelago and can also be spotted in coastal thickets and agricultural areas.

Photo by Rama Kumaraswamy Thoopal

Red Colobus Monkeys are very social animals. They live in hierarchical groups led by alpha males. The troops can number up to 80 with the average troop size being around 40 to 50. The Red Colobus has specialized calls to communicate different messages (e.g., messages related to mating and warnings).

Although cute, the Zanzibar Red Colobus is now classified as an endangered species.  Less than 2,000 individual monkeys remain; and unfortunately, the population trend is decreasing.  Conservationists are consistently working with government officials to develop a more effective strategy to protect the monkeys’ population and habitat.

 Photo by Hasin Shakur