Golden-bellied mangabey

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Golden-bellied mangabey [1]
Cercocebus chrysogaster 0006.jpg
At Wuppertal Zoo, Germany
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Cercocebus
Species:
C. chrysogaster
Binomial name
Cercocebus chrysogaster
Lydekker, 1900
Golden-bellied Mangabey area.png
Golden-bellied mangabey range
Golden bellied mangabey in the wild Wild Golden Bellied Mangabey.png
Golden bellied mangabey in the wild

The golden-bellied mangabey (Cercocebus chrysogaster) is an Endangered Old World monkey found in swampy, humid forests south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the agile mangabey (C. agilis). [1]

A study of wild populations found that they form large, complex social groups which in some ways resemble those of humans: [3]

[W]hile individuals form friendships, they also irritate each other by snatching food, accidentally stepping on tails, and insisting on trying to groom newborn infants (which annoys the mom). They make up by grooming and playing. [3]

When faced with predators such as Gaboon vipers, groups will band together and fight collectively. [3] Wild golden-bellied mangabeys have been seen consuming and sharing mammalian prey. [4] (Food sharing is rarely observed in most cercopithecine monkeys.) [4] Golden-bellied mangabeys share a habitat with bonobos and a comparison study found that the monkeys travel greater distances within their home range to feed, significantly further than other Cercocebus species. [5]

Little else has been published about the species and its behaviour has mostly been studied in captivity.

References

  1. 1 2 Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 153. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Hart, J.A.; Thompson, J. (2020). "Cercocebus chrysogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T4207A17956177. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T4207A17956177.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Kimbrough, Liz (July 25, 2024). "DRC's golden-bellied mangabeys: A little-known but much-threatened monkey". Mongabay. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  4. 1 2 McLester, Edward (March 1, 2022). "Golden-bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus chrysogaster) consume and share mammalian prey at LuiKotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 38 (5): 254–258. doi:10.1017/S026646742200013X via Cambridge University Press.
  5. McLester, Edward (March 15, 2023). "Golden-bellied mangabeys (Cercocebus chrysogaster) exhibit a larger home range and longer travel distances than those of bonobos (Pan paniscus) at LuiKotale, Democratic Republic of the Congo". American Journal of Primatology. 85 (6) e23486. doi:10.1002/ajp.23486. PMID   36920052 via Wiley Online Library.