The ursine colobus (Colobus vellerosus), the white-thighed colobus, Geoffroy's black-and-white colobus, or the white-thighed black-and-white colobus
The ursine colobus (Colobus vellerosus), also known as the white-thighed colobus, Geoffroy's black-and-white colobus, or the white-thighed black-and-white colobus, is a West African species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae.
Description
Colobus vellerosus has a predominantly black coat, with no white mantle. The face is hairless, surrounded by white hairs. The thighs have white patches, which may vary in length and width. Puppies are born white, with age the coat takes on the adult colouring. The tail is white and very long. Weight of adult males 9.9 to 10.3 kg, weight of adult females 8.3 to 8.7 kg; body length of males 61 to 66 cm, body length of females 61 to 64 cm.
Distribution
Colobus vellerosus is found in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, as well as in the extreme south of Burkina Faso. It prefers subtropical or humid tropical lowland forests and gallery forests adjacent to savannah areas. In Benin, representatives of the species have also been observed in swamp and semi-deciduous forests.
Life history and nutrition
Colobus vellerosus is a diurnal animal that spends most of its time in trees. They form family groups with a dominant male, several females and their young. Each group defends its territory aggressively. Diet consists mainly of young leaves, shoots and seeds; fruits and insects are also included in the diet.
Colobus vellerosus in the Red Data Book
The main threats to the population are hunting and habitat destruction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has designated the species as "vulnerable".
Nomenclature
The ursine colobus was formerly thought to be a subspecies of Colobus polykomos with which it interbred; however, it has since been recognized as a separate species.
