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Red-tailed monkey, or Black-cheeked white-nosed monkey, or Red-tailed guenon, or Redtail monkey, orSchmidt’s guenon (Cercopithecus ascanius)
Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — primates
Family — cercopithecidae
Genus –cercopithecus
Appearance
The Red-tailed monkey is named as it sounds, for its red coloration of the tail's underside as well as the bi-coloration of the tail as the reddish color increases from the base to the tip. There are other features characteristic to this mammal as well such as the white nose and cheeks in the midst of black or dark grey body fur. Red-tailed monkeys also have very large, elastic cheeks which are used in gathering food and storing it in their mouths for safety.
Sizes of their bodies range between individuals as well as between the sexes as males are larger than the females. Body length ranges from 1 to 2 foot (12-24 inches), without the tail included, males being on the upper end of the scale and females being on the lower. Adult males also weigh between 7 and 10 pounds and females weigh slightly less between 6 and 8 pounds. The tail length can reach up to 35 inches long. The tail helps the monkeys achieve balance.
Habitat
Red-tailed monkeys are found in East and Central Africa. They occur in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and possibly Burundi.
Behavior
Red-tailed monkeys are social primates that form groups of 7-30 individuals. The groups consist of one dominant male and females and their offspring. Groups generally stay together throughout the day and through life, except for males who reach maturity. These males will leave the group they were born into and go on to form all-male groups with other males or survive alone until they can replace the dominant male of a different social group. Females in a group help take care of their own young as well as the young of other females in the group. Red-tailed monkeys are active in the early morning and evening. They are arboreal but may come to the ground. In the trees, they are very active and travel at great speeds. On the ground, they travel quadrupedally, on all four legs. They rest and prefer to spend most of the time in trees but forage on the ground. As they forage, these monkeys gather their findings in the cheek pouches. They can forage in one area and then carry their food away to another location where it is safe to consume without the threat of another stealing from them. Red-tailed monkeys communicate physically, vocally, visually and also demonstrate social dominance, submissiveness, or greeting.
Diet
Red-tailed monkeys are omnivorous. The primarily feed on fruits but also eat leaves, flowers, or insects in times where fruit is scarce.
Reproduction
Red-tailed monkeys are polygynous meaning that one male mates with multiple females. The breeding season takes place from November extending into the month of February; however, breeding can occur throughout the year. Females give birth to a single young per mating season. The gestation period lasts around 6 months. Infants weigh around 400 g and are entirely dependent upon their mother. She will provide food for her baby, transportation and grooming. Females become reproductively mature at 4-5 years of age and males at the age of 6.
The lifespan of the Schmidt's guenon is estimated to be about 28 years.
In captivity
Monkeys are very smart and sociable creatures, they have a lot in common with humans, but in no case should such a pet be allowed to walk around the house or apartment without human supervision. He is interested in everything, wants to touch everything and even see what is inside, so he breaks everything that comes to hand.
First of all, it is necessary to provide a fairly spacious and strong cage for the monkey, which is recommended to be made of strong wood, the front wall is usually made of metal rods. Connections bolts or screws are not allowed.
Suitable cell size 2x1, 5x1, 5 m. Monkeys usually lead a very active lifestyle, so the cage should have different devices for climbing. Most often, a trapeze is installed for monkeys, which is a wooden shelf attached with strong ropes or chains. You can install a pole with a movable wheel or hang a large ring made of metal or ebony from the ceiling. The best entertainment for your pet will be a mirror that is well nailed or glued, the frame for it must be made of solid wood. The mirror must be fixed motionless, otherwise a curious monkey can break it, and then swallow the fragments.
A monkey is not a very clean animal. Therefore, the bottom of the cage should be covered with a layer of dry sawdust, preferably spruce. For feeding monkeys, feeders are usually used, water is given in drinkers. These devices should not be kept in the cage all the time.
For keeping monkeys, in addition to cages, sometimes use aviaries or keep them in poles. This device is a pole where there is a horizontal platform used for walking and feeding the animal, as well as a place to sleep. This is probably the most cruel keeping of an animal, because in this case the monkey must always be on a leash. We recommend not to torment your pet, but still provide it with a good home. For example, aviaries are much more suitable for keeping monkeys. They are much more spacious than cells and they can have conditions that are closest to nature. To do this, the keeper should have the aviary with tree branches or plant various types of vegetation.
Periodically, your pet should be walked. To do this, they need to wear a belt with a leash. It can be made from a soft but strong leather belt that will wrap around the animal's body slightly below the shoulders. It is necessary to train the monkey to this belt since the very childhood and not to remove it even in the apartment.
Feed the monkeys twice a day, sometimes you can give them various fruits as rewards, but do not overuse this. Monkeys, like all primates, eat mainly plant food, preferring plant shoots, fruits, flowers and nuts. In addition to plant food, you can add small insects, worms, sometimes even shellfish and crabs. It is recommended to give them boiled rice with milk and a white bun soaked in milk, and you should also add fruit; some favor boiled potatoes and vegetables in general (tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets, boiled corn). For almost all monkeys, watermelon is a treat. Very quickly, monkeys get used to various exotic fruits, and if you give them often, they completely refuse other food, so bananas and oranges are recommended to be given quite rarely. Onions (contain vitamin C) are very useful for monkeys, but since it is very corrosive to the eyes, they make interesting grimaces before using it. Sometimes they should be given cereal and legume seeds.
The amount of feed is important. Monkeys are very fond of eating, often overeating. If the stomach is already full, they will fill the cheek bags, and if there is anything left, they will hide it in the most unpredictable places, and if there is no place to keep food it can be scattered in a cage or in an apartment.
