Agile mangabey

Agile mangabey[1]
Agile mangabey, on the top
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Genus:	Cercocebus
Species:	C. agilis
Binomial name
Cercocebus agilis (Milne-Edwards, 1886)
Agile mangabey range

The agile mangabey (Cercocebus agilis) is an Old World monkey of the white-eyelid mangabey group found in swampy forests of Central Africa in Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, and DR Congo.^[1] Until 1978, it was considered a subspecies of the Tana River mangabey (C. galeritus).^[3] More recently, the golden-bellied mangabey (C. chrysogaster) has been considered a separate species instead of a subspecies of the agile mangabey.^[1]

Physical characteristics

The agile mangabey has a short, overall dull olive-grey pelage.^[4] The bare skin of the face and feet is blackish.^[5] Males are 51–65 centimeters (20–26 in) in length and weigh about 7–13 kilograms (15–29 lb), while the smaller females are 44–55 centimeters (17–22 in) and weigh 5–7 kilograms (11–15 lb).^[4]

Behavior

Similar to other mangabeys, they are diurnal.^[3] Although generally arboreal, they do spend a significant portion of their time (12–22%) on the ground,^[5] especially during the dry season. It is typically more commonly heard than seen,^[4] and males have a loud, species-specific call that is believed to be used to space themselves out.^[3] Other calls are also used to maintain group cohesion and warn of predators.^[5] Group size can be as high as 18 members, led by a single adult male. Group meetings can be friendly and may involve exchange of members. Adult males not in groups often travel singly.^[4]

Diet

Fruit makes up a major portion of the agile mangabey diet. They are known to eat at least 42 different species of fruit.^[5] Their tooth structure and powerful jaws allows them to open tough pods and fruits that many other monkeys can not access.^[5] Agile mangabeys eat from a number of dominant swamp-forest trees, including dika nuts and sugar plums, when they are fruiting.^[4] They also eat fresh leaf shoots from raffia palms when fruits are scarce. Grasses and mushrooms,^[4] as well as insects, other invertebrates, bird's eggs and some vertebrate prey, such as rodents, are also eaten.^[5]

Other

Agile mangabeys are known to contract T-cell leukemia virus, similar to the leukemia virus that infects humans.^[6] There is also evidence that they contract Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a virus related to human HIV that infects certain apes and monkeys.^[7] They have rarely been kept in captivity,^[5] with only three individuals held in ISIS registered institutions in July 2008.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 153. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100426. 
2. ^ Hart, J., Butynski, T. M. & Kingdon, J. (2008). Cercocebus agilis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 4 January 2009.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Rowe, Noel (1996). The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates. p. 144. ISBN 0-9648825-0-7. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Kingdon, Jonathan (1997). The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. p. 44. ISBN 0-12-408355-2. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Agile Mangabey - Mangabey Species Survival Plan". http://www.mangabeyssp.org/Agile%20Mangabey.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
6. ^ "Simian T-Cell Leukemia Virus (STLV) Infection in Wild Primate Populations in Cameroon: Evidence for Dual STLV Type 1 and Type 3 Infection in Agile Mangabeys (Cercocebus agilis)". http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/78/9/4700. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
7. ^ "Risk to Human Health from a Plethora of Simian Immunodeficiency Viruses in Primate Bushmeat". http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol8no5/01-0522.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-09. 
8. ^ "Cercocebus agilis agilis - International Species Information System Abstract". http://app.isis.org/abstracts/Abs70392.asp#2.0. Retrieved 2008-07-19.