African Monkeys: Guenons, Baboons, Colobus and More

Africa holds the greatest variety of Old World monkeys on Earth, from rainforest specialists that rarely descend from the canopy to grassland grazers living above the treeline. The continent’s monkeys also include the largest species in the family.

Guenons

Guenons are the colourful mid-sized monkeys of African forests, with striking face markings that help species recognise their own kind where several live side by side. Mona monkeys, Diana monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and the critically threatened Roloway monkey all belong here. Mixed-species troops are common, improving predator detection for everyone involved.

Vervets and Patas Monkeys

Vervets thrive at the forest edge, in savanna woodland and increasingly around human settlement. They gave science its clearest evidence of referential alarm calls, described in how monkeys communicate. Patas monkeys took the opposite route, becoming long-legged sprinters of open grassland and the fastest primates on the ground.

Baboons

Five baboon species cover most of the continent: olive, yellow, chacma, Guinea and hamadryas. All are large, omnivorous, ground-confident and socially intricate, with troops that can exceed a hundred animals. Their political complexity is a highlight of monkey behaviour and social life.

Mandrills and Drills

The mandrill is the largest monkey alive, and the drill is not far behind. Both are confined to the forests of west-central Africa, and both are under heavy hunting pressure. See largest monkeys on Earth.

Colobus Monkeys

Black-and-white colobus, red colobus and olive colobus are the continent’s leaf specialists, with fermenting stomachs that let them digest mature foliage other monkeys cannot use. They have reduced thumbs, an adaptation for fast branch running. Red colobus are also the primary prey of chimpanzees, as noted in monkey predators.

Geladas: The Grass Eaters

Geladas live in the Ethiopian highlands and feed overwhelmingly on grass, a diet unique among primates. They sleep on cliff ledges and gather in herds that can reach several hundred animals, and their vocal repertoire is among the most elaborate of any monkey.

Talapoins and Swamp Specialists

At the small end, talapoins are the smallest African monkeys, living in flooded and riverine forest in Gabon, Cameroon and Angola. Compare them with the global miniatures in smallest monkey species.

Conservation Pressures

Commercial bushmeat hunting, logging, mining and agricultural expansion are the main threats, and West Africa’s forest monkeys are among the most endangered primates anywhere. Details in endangered monkey species and monkey conservation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many monkey species live in Africa?

Africa hosts well over a hundred monkey species, the greatest concentration of Old World monkey diversity anywhere.

What is the largest African monkey?

The mandrill, which is also the largest monkey in the world, with males reaching 25 to 35 kilograms.

Which African monkey eats grass?

The gelada of the Ethiopian highlands, the only primate whose diet is dominated by grass.

Why are West African monkeys so threatened?

Commercial bushmeat hunting combined with heavy deforestation has left several species, including the Roloway monkey, confined to small forest fragments.

Related Reading

Compare regions in Asian monkeys and South American monkeys, and see the family split in Old World versus New World monkeys.