Norbert Cordeiro commented on "Image":

This image shows one of the races of Mitis or Blue Monkey in eastern Africa. This monkey is in a genus (Cercopithecus) commonly known as guenons. It is difficult to tell from this image whether the individual is swallowing or chewing young leaves, immature fruits, or ripe fruits. In any event, what is noteworthy about this Old World monkeys in particular, is that they have cheek pouches to store fruits and seeds. They visit fruiting trees where if the fruits are small enough, they will then gather and store multiple fruits in their cheek pouches at one time. They then move away from these fruiting trees to feed, oftentimes swallowing the fleshy pulp and spitting out individual seeds, and scattering these seeds across the forest floor below their foraging paths. In this way, these monkeys may contribute to seed dispersal and potentially future regeneration for seeds that escape high mortality away from parent tree crowns. The following article offers some insights into this behaviour: Joanna Lambert (2001) Red-Tailed Guenons (Cercopithecus ascanius) and Strychnos mitis: Evidence for Plant Benefits Beyond Seed Dispersal. International Journal of Primatology 22:189-201, DOI: 10.1023/A:1005667313906 http://www.springerlink.com/content/tjk6786808501647/

2 months ago • edited: 2 months ago

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