Animal Info - Sun-tailed Monkey

(Other Names: Cercopithèque à Queue de Soleil, Kage, Mono del Gabón, Sun-tailed Guenon)

Cercopithecus solatus

Status: Vulnerable

1. Profile (Picture)
2. Tidbits
3. Status and Trends (IUCN Status, Countries Where Currently Found, History of Distribution, Threats and Reasons for Decline)
4. Data on Biology and Ecology (Weight, Habitat, Diet, Behavior, Social Organization)
5. References

Profile

Picture: Sun-tailed Monkey (189 Kb GIF) (Nature Plus)

The sun-tailed monkey probably weighs 4 - 9 kg (8.8 - 20 lb). It is found in a hilly area of moist evergreen forest typified by very frequent rivers and streams that dissect the terrain deeply. It prefers densely shaded, tangled areas and remains common after light logging (perhaps because dense undergrowth increases). (Kingdon 1997) The sun-tailed monkey is semi-terrestrial, and it eats fruit, which is abundant most of the year. It occurs in small groups, usually including one male and several females.

The sun-tailed monkey was first described by Western scientists as late as 1988 in central Gabon. Initially it was thought to be limited to an area of about 5000 sq km (1900 sq mi) bounded by the Ogooue, Lolo, Bouenguidi and Offuoe Rivers. However, sightings in 1994 30 km (20 mi) to the west of the Offuoe River have extended its known range by about 2000 sq km (770 sq mi). (Oates 1996; Oryx 1996e)

The sun-tailed monkey's limited distribution is not due to hunting, settlement or logging, although it is threatened by hunting around logging camps.

Tidbits

*** Since the sun-tailed monkey is semi-terrestrial, it is susceptible to ground snares, a form of hunting gear used around logging camps.

Status and Trends

IUCN Status:

1988 - 1990: Vulnerable
1994: Endangered
1996 - 2004: Vulnerable (Criteria: B1+2abcde, C1) (Population Trend: Decreasing) (IUCN 2004)

Countries Where the Sun-tailed Monkey Is Currently Found:

2004: Occurs in Gabon (IUCN 2004).

History of Distribution:

The sun-tailed monkey was first described by Western scientists as late as 1988 in central Gabon. Initially it was thought to be limited to an area of about 5000 sq km (1900 sq mi) bounded on the north and east by the Ogooue, Lolo and Bouenguidi Rivers and on the west by a change in forest type near the Offuoe River. However, subsequent sightings in 1994 in the Lope Reserve, up to 30 km (20 mi) west of the Offuoe River, have extended its known range by about 2000 sq km (770 sq mi) to the west. (Oates 1996; Oryx 1996e)

Distribution Map (6 Kb GIF) (African Mammals Databank 2004)

Threats and Reasons for Decline:

The sun-tailed monkey's limited distribution is not due to hunting, settlement or logging, although it is threatened by hunting around logging camps.

Data on Biology and Ecology

Weight:

The sun-tailed monkey probably weighs 4 - 9 kg (8.8 - 20 lb).

Habitat:

The sun-tailed monkey is found in a hilly area of moist evergreen forest typified by very frequent rivers and streams that dissect the terrain deeply. It prefers densely shaded, tangled areas and remains common after light logging (perhaps because dense undergrowth increases). (Kingdon 1997)

The sun-tailed monkey occurs in the Congolian Coastal Forests Global 200 Ecoregion. (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Diet:

The sun-tailed monkey eats fruit, which is abundant most of the year.

Behavior:

The sun-tailed monkey is semi-terrestrial.

Social Organization:

The sun-tailed monkey occurs in small groups usually including one male and several females.

References

African Mammals Databank 2000, Blom et al. 1992, Harrison 1988, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2003a, IUCN 2004, Kingdon 1997, Oates 1996, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, Oryx 1996e, Stuart & Stuart 1996

Top of Page | Search This Site

Last modified: February 5, 2005;