The Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei)
The Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei) is listed on the IUCN Red List as a "threatened species"
The Sanje mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei) is a critically endangered Old World monkey of the white-eyed mangabey group from the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania. It measures between 50 and 65 centimetres, not counting the tail, and is greyish in colour. Fruit makes up 70% of their nutrition. They live in valley forests and on mountain slopes, but live mainly on the ground, making them vulnerable to hunting and poaching. Their habitat is degrading, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed their conservation status as "endangered".
Ecology
The Sanje mangabey is a diurnal species that spends half its time on the ground and the rest foraging in the treetops and undergrowth. Troops of mangabeys occupy a territory and spend the night in one of the eight clusters of tall trees they usually use for sleeping. In the morning, before the troop goes out to forage for food, they usually emit a loud cry from these trees. They spend part of their time on the ground, foraging in the leaf litter for fallen fruits, seeds and nuts, ants and other invertebrates, roots and fungi, and part in the treetops, feeding on fruits and seeds. Figs, Parinari excelsa stones and other large or hard objects are usually stored in pouches in their cheeks, which they then open with the help of their strong premolar teeth.
Description
Cercocebus sanjei is a species of catarrhine primate belonging to the family Cercopithecidae.
Cercocebus sanjei has a grey coat on top and a lighter, almost whitish abdomen. The hairless facial skin is pink or grey, as all members of the family have whitish eyelids. The tail is relatively long.
Distribution and lifestyle
These primates live exclusively on some eastern slopes of the Udzungwa Mountains in southern Tanzania, where they inhabit riverine forests between 400 and 1600 m altitude.
Cercocebus sanjei are active during the day, both on the ground and in the trees. They live in groups. Their diet consists of fruits, seeds, nuts and small animals.
Conservation status
The main threat is continued deforestation due to timber harvesting and charcoal extraction, as well as hunting, including with dogs. The species is listed in CITES Appendix II. Occurs in the Uzungwa Mountains National Park.
