Cercopithecus cephus

Moustached guenon, orMoustached monkey(Cercopithecus cephus)

Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — primates
Family — cercopithecidae

Genus –cercopithecus

Appearance

The average length of the body is 52 cm, and the length of the tail is 70 cm. The average weight of males is about 4 kg, females-3 kg.

The Moustached guenon got its name for the blue color of the skin on its face. Mature males have well-developed white whiskers. The back and upper part of the neck, head, as well as the outer surface of the limbs are olive-green with a very beautiful golden hue. The lower surface of the body and the inner surface of the limbs are bluish-gray. The face has a beautiful cobalt-blue hue, and there is a white spot on the upper lip. Shiny yellow sideburnsare separated by a black stripe from the olive-colored hair of the head, border the face. The tail is rusty red from the tip to the root.

Habitat

It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

Behavior

It is an arboreal species that rarely descends to the ground. Most of the time monkeys spend in the trees, where they find both food and a reliable shelter from enemies.

Diet

The animals are mostly frugivorous species. In the habitat, the main food is the fruit of the oil palm. In addition, it eats fruits, seeds and leaves of other plants, insects and birds ' eggs.

Reproduction

The gestation period lasts 140 days. Females usually give birth to one baby, and weaning occurs at about 120 days of age.

The newborn youth is sitting on the mother's stomach. When traveling, the female usually supports her young with one hand for safety. At two months of age, young monkeys begin to move independently and start eating solid food.

Lifespan of these animals 25 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.

 

 

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