Table of Contents
Overview
Brief Summary
Biology
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Comprehensive Description
Description
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Distribution
Range Description
There are two subspecies: the subspecies C. d. diana ranges from coastal south-eastern Guinea to the River Sassandra in Côte d'Ivoire; C. d. roloway is found from the River Sassandra in the east to the River Pra in Ghana.
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Geographic Range
Cercopithecus diana is distributed from Sierra Leone to Ghana, in Western Africa.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
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Coastal West Africa
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Range
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Physical Description
Morphology
Physical Description
Cercopithecus diana ranges from 40 to 55 cm in length, with a long tail 50 to 75 cm long. The coloration is extremely variable. These primates are generally black, with a white throat, ruff, pointed beard, and anterior side of arms. A white stripe runs down the thighs (Kingdon 1989). The posterior back and thighs are red-brown to orange (Grzimek 1990). Cercopithecus diana is catarrhine, with the nostrils close together and facing downward. The nail on each digit is flattened. The hallux and pollex are opposable. Prominant calluses, or ischial callosities, are present on the rump. The dental formula is 2/2, 1/1. 2/2, 3/3=32 (Vaughan 1986).
Range mass: 4 to 7 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
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Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
Systems
- Terrestrial
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Habitat
Diana monkeys dwell in upper levels of primeval forest trees. They sleep in trees in closed forest canopies, and never make nests.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest
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Habitat
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Trophic Strategy
Food Habits
Diana monkeys are omnivorous, eating fruits, flowers, young leaves, insects and invertebrates (Grzimck 1990, Macdonald 1984).
Animal Foods: insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; flowers
Primary Diet: omnivore
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Associations
Ecosystem Roles
As a prey species, these monkeys are likely to have an impact on predator populations. As fruit eaters, they are likely to help disperse seeds.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
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Predation
As is common in other forest monkeys, predators are likely to include leopards, snakes, and birds of prey.
Known Predators:
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Life History and Behavior
Behavior
Communication and Perception
As in all primates, communication is likely to be varied and complex. Facial expression and body postures are some of the visual cues primates use to communicate mood and intent. Vocalizations are common in primates. Tactile communication is important in social bonding and maintenance of relationships. Grooming, mating, and caring for young are all very tactile.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; acoustic
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Life Expectancy
Lifespan/Longevity
These animals are thought to reach a maximum age of about 20 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 20 years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 20 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 19.0 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 37.3 years.
Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: captivity: 30.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 34.8 years.
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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
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Reproduction
Reproduction
Diana monkeys have a polygynous mating system. Courtship is short, since mates are usually familiar with each other. The female presents her rump prior to copulation in an appeasement gesture to signal readiness and vulnerability (Vaughan 1986).
Mating System: polygynous
Diana monkeys breed seasonally. They are polyestrus, with an approximately 31 day cycle. The gestation period lasts 5 months (Cockrum 1962). Females give birth to one or rarely two young at a time. The young are weaned at about six months and reach sexual maturity at about three years (Grzimek 1990).
Breeding interval: Because these animals breed seasonally, and given the long period of infant dependence, it is likely that females are only bale to produce once per year.
Breeding season: Copulations are probably times so that the young are born at the period of maximum food availability.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average gestation period: 5 months.
Average weaning age: 6 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 3 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 3 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); fertilization ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 475 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 1962 days.
The young are relatively well developed at birth, with open eyes and the capability to grasp the mother and support their own weight (Macdonald 1984). Females nurse and care for their offspring for about six months. Daughters stay with their mothers as long as they live, whereas males leave the natal group near the time of adolescence (Macdonald 1984).
Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); post-independence association with parents; extended period of juvenile learning; maternal position in the dominance hierarchy affects status of young
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Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Justification
History
- 2000Endangered
- 1996Vulnerable
- 1994Vulnerable(Groombridge 1994)
- 1990Vulnerable(IUCN 1990)
- 1988Vulnerable
- 1988Vulnerable(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
- 1986Vulnerable(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
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Conservation Status
The current status of C. diana is CITES-Appendix I; US ESA- Endangered, IUCN- vulnerable (Wilson and Reeder 1993). Diana monkeys are seriously threatened by hunting and by destruction of forests (Grzimck 1990). One subspecies, C. diana roloway, is recognized; it lives in the Ivory Coast and Ghana.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: appendix i
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
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Status: Endangered
Date Listed: 10/19/1976
Lead Region: Foreign (Region 10)
Where Listed:
Population detail:
Population location: entire
Listing status: E
For most current information and documents related to the conservation status and management of Cercopithecus diana , see its USFWS Species Profile
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Status
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Trends
Population
Population Trend
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Threats
Threats
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Threats
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Management
Conservation Actions
The nominate subspecies is better off than its conspecific, and occurs on Mt. Nimba, part of which is a designated World Heritage Site. To protect this primate there is a need to protect large areas of mature forest from logging and conversion to agricultural land.
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Conservation
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Diana monkeys can carry and spread diseases like yellow fever and tuberculosis (Macdonald 1984).
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Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Diana monkeys are used for food, pets, and in medical research (Macdonald 1984, Lawlor 1979).
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Wikipedia
Diana monkey
The Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana) 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. Individual Diana monkeys may live for up to 20 years.
They are generally black or dark grey, but have a white throat, crescent-shaped browband, ruff and beard; the browband gave the species its common name, since it was held to resemble the bow of the goddess Diana. The monkeys' underarms are also white, and they have a white stripe down their thighs, while the backs of their thighs, and their lower backs, are a chestnut colour. Apart from the browband, ruff and beard, and some fringes on their limbs, their fur is short and sleek in appearance.
Like most primates, Diana monkeys can always carry diseases that can be communicated to humans, like yellow fever and tuberculosis, but they are not important carriers of these. The species is regarded as vulnerable by the IUCN as well as by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the chief dangers to them being habitat destruction (they are now virtually confined to coastal areas) and hunting for bushmeat.
Two taxa formerly considered subspecies of the Diana monkey have recently been elevated to full species status: the Roloway monkey (C. roloway) is found in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and the Dryas monkey (C. dryas) found in the DR Congo.
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Habitat, behavior, and reproduction
The Diana monkey is found in the primeval forests, and does not thrive in secondary forests. It is active during the day. It feeds at all levels of the canopy, rarely comes down to the ground. Diana monkeys retreat to the upper levels of the trees at night, though they do not make nests. They feed mainly on fruit and insects, but will also take flowers, young leaves and invertebrates, and are in turn preyed on by the Crowned Hawk-eagle, the Leopard, and the Common Chimpanzee and humans.
The Diana monkey is a noisy presence in the forest. Its marked coloration allows a wide range of visual social signals, and it also has a wide range of alarm calls, with different sounds for different predators. The monkey has distinctive alarm calls for different kinds of predators, and recent research has shown that other forest residents such as the Yellow-casqued Hornbill are able to discriminate these and take appropriate action.[3]
Groups consist of a single male with a number of reproducing females and their infants. In good conditions, adult females reproduce annually. Gestation lasts about 5 months, and the young nurse for a further 6 months. Normally only a single infant is born. Although the young are born in a fairly well developed condition, with open eyes and able to grasp their mother, at least in zoo conditions Diana monkey mothers appear anxious and possessive, rarely letting young infants leave them. As infants grow, however, they become very playful. Juveniles reach sexual maturity at an age of about 3 years. Daughters remain in their mothers' social groups, while males leave their natal groups shortly before attaining sexual maturity.
Gallery
Three Diana Monkeys at Port Lympne Zoo
A Diana monkey seen in profile
References
- ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. eds. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 155. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100460.
- ^ Oates, J. F., Gippoliti, S. & Groves, C. P. (2008). Cercopithecus diana. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 January 2009.
- ^ Rainey, H. J.; Zuberbühler, K., & Slater, P. J. B. (2004). "Hornbills can distinguish between primate alarm calls". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B (271): 755–759. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2619. PMC 1691652. PMID 15209110. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1691652.
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