De Brazza's Monkey in Africa

Scientific name: Cercopithecus neglectus

De Brazza's Monkey is an old world monkey that gets its name from French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza. Locally known as swamp monkeys, they are often found in wetlands in central Africa. It is very hard to find due to its good hiding abilities, and so there is not an accurate species count.

How to identify the De Brazza's Monkey

This spectacular thickset guenon has grey agouti fur with a reddish brown back, black limbs and tail and a white rump. A white stripe runs down its thigh, and an orange crescent-shaped marking appears on its forehead. Its white eyelids match its muzzle and beard. Both sexes have cheek pouches in which to carry food while they forage, and males have a blue scrotum.

Where to find the De Brazza's Monkey

De Brazza's Monkey ranges across the swamps, bamboo and dry mountain forests of Congo Angola, Cameroon. Central African republic, The democratic republic of Congo ,Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, the Cherangani Hills of Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. In Uganda it’s most likely to be seen in the vicinity of Mount Elgon and Semiliki national parks.

Behavior

De Brazza's Monkey lives for about 22 years. It is a shy, territorial monkey that lives in small social groups. At the head of each social group is the strongest male, whose job is to protect his fellow group members.

De Brazza's Monkey communicates with booming sounds, shaking tree branches, and a variety of facial expressions and movements (e.g. shaking its head when stressed out, or nodding with approval).

De Brazza's Monkey is a sexually dimorphic species; males weigh around 7 kilograms, while females weigh around 4.5 kilograms. Babies weigh about 260 grams.

Threats

Predators of the De Brazza's Monkey include the leopard,humans, and other primates. However, because of its very good means of protection, De Brazza's Monkey is rarely captured.

Among these means of protection are the ability to freeze when alarmed, and the ability to camouflage very well with its surroundings (hence their scientific name Cercopithecus neglectus; neglectus refers to its ability to hide and make it hard for predators to find it.

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