Miss Waldron's red colobus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Miss Waldron's red colobus |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Piliocolobus
|
| Species: |
waldronae
|
 |
|
| Miss Waldron's red colobus historic range shown in red | |
The Miss Waldron's red colobus (Piliocolobus waldronae) is a type of red colobus monkey. It lives in West Africa. For a long time, people thought it was a subspecies of the western red colobus.
This monkey has not been officially seen since 1978. In 2000, many believed it was extinct. However, new clues suggest that a very small group of these monkeys might still be living. They are thought to be in the southeast part of Côte d'Ivoire. The IUCN Red List now lists Miss Waldron's red colobus as critically endangered. This means it is at a very high risk of disappearing forever.
A collector named Willoughby P. Lowe first discovered this monkey in December 1933. He was working for the British Museum (Natural History). Robert William Hayman later named the monkey after Miss Fanny Waldron. She was a museum employee who helped with the expedition.
Contents
What Does Miss Waldron's Red Colobus Look Like?
Miss Waldron's red colobus monkeys have mostly black fur. But they have a special pattern of bright red fur on their forehead and thighs. This red fur helps tell them apart from other similar monkeys.
This monkey is an Old World monkey. It can grow to be about 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Its head is quite small compared to its body. Sadly, there are no known photos of a living Miss Waldron's red colobus.
Where Do These Monkeys Live and What Do They Eat?
Miss Waldron's red colobus monkeys live only in tall, dense rainforests. These forests are found in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. They usually live in large family groups of 20 or more monkeys.
These monkeys are very social and noisy animals. They often talk to each other using loud calls, shrieks, and chattering sounds. They rely on their group's many eyes and ears to stay safe from danger.
Their main food sources are fruit, seeds, and leaves. Other large carnivores sometimes hunt and eat red colobus monkeys. These predators include common chimpanzees, leopards, large pythons, and eagles.
Why Did Miss Waldron's Red Colobus Almost Disappear?
One big reason for the monkey's decline was illegal hunting. People hunted them for bushmeat, which is meat from wild animals. Local governments did not do much to stop this hunting.
Another major problem was Habitat destruction. This means their forest homes were being cut down or damaged. Miss Waldron's red colobus was the first primate (a group that includes monkeys and apes) thought to be extinct in the 21st century. However, many experts debated if it was truly gone.
From 1993 to 1999, the Wildlife Conservation Society searched the forests. They could not find any proof that the monkey still existed. So, a year later, it was declared extinct. But the IUCN and other groups felt there was still some hope. They believed it wasn't certain that "its last individual had died."
New Hope: Evidence of Survival
A scientist named W. Scott McGraw from Ohio State University has been looking for these monkeys. He has collected evidence during his trips to Côte d'Ivoire:
- In 2000, a hunter gave McGraw a black monkey tail. DNA tests showed it was from a red colobus. The hunter said he had shot the monkey the year before.
- In 2001, another hunter gave McGraw a piece of reddish monkey skin. It was believed to be from Miss Waldron's red colobus.
- In the same year, McGraw received a photo from a friend in Africa. The photo seemed to show a killed adult Miss Waldron's red colobus. Experts who looked at the photo think it is real.
It is now thought that a small group of these monkeys might still live in the Ehy Forest. This forest is near the Tano River and Ehy Lagoon. It is on the border between Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Miss Waldron's Red Colobus is one of the "most wanted lost" species. It is a focus of the "Search for Lost Species" project by Re:wild.
