MANGABEY FACTS
| Family: Cercopithecidae |
Subfamily: Cercopithecinae |
| Genus: Cercocebus, Lophocebus |
Species: three and two |
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Separated into two genera in 1979, taxonomy disputed. C. agilis was included as a subspecies of galeritus until 1978. Some taxonomists consider C. t. atys a separate species. Other subspecies of mangabey have been identified but only atys is listed here as it is the most well-known. Some also consider L. aterrimus to be a subspecies of L. albigena.
Appearance:
Sexually dimorphic species with males normally larger than females. All are slender. Data looks incomplete, but it seems that males will normally weigh around 20lbs, give or take a few pounds, though black mangabey males can weigh near 50lbs. Females will weigh around 5-10lbs less. Males also can reach a slightly longer head and body length, around 20-25ins. Though lengths for females can overlap, they don't seem to reach over 22ins. Mangabeys have long tails - often longer than the rest of their body, which are carried parallel over their backs.
Each species is distinctly colored, with the red-capped probably the most striking with its distinct red "cap" and white cheeks. Agile mangabeys have a yellowish-gold chest and abdomen. Black mangabeys have pointed crests on the tops of their heads and long, greyish hair on their cheeks. Sooty mangabeys can have pink faces. Gray-cheeked mangabeys have throat sacs, which produce their loud call. The males' sacs are larger than those of the females.
All mangabeys resemble one another in general build and facial characteristics. Their heads and faces are shorter and rounder than those of macaques. All are characterized by hair tufts around the face, contrasting colors and different "hairdos." They have white areas above or on top of their eyelids, which are used to embellish facial expressions. All have naked faces and nostrils and cheek pouches. Cercocebus species have shorter hair and coarser fur than the other two species. All have well-developed ischial callosities.
Range and Diet:
Mangabeys are found all across tropical central Africa. Most are found on or near the west coast, though a couple of species reach into Kenya. The Tana River mangabey is found only in Kenya. They all live in forests, though the type of forest varies. Agile mangabeys are only found in tropical rain forests, but the rest are more widespread. Their ranges generally seem to be large, though dependent upon food availability. Mangbeys are omnivorous, though fruit and seeds make up the bulk of their diets. The Tana River mangabey seems more specialized than the others, relying on a single tree species for 60% of its diet. A couple of species will raid crops. Cercocebus species will travel and feed on the ground, while the Lophocebus species favor staying in the trees.
Behavior and Social Structure:
All mangabeys are quadrupedal, diurnal and arboreal, but the Cercocebus species are also terrestrial. The sooty mangabey is mainly terrestrial. They all live in multimale-multifemale groups, though numbers can vary according to local conditions. The Lophocebus species have much smaller group sizes, and can sometimes have only one male to a group, or can divide into subgroups to forage. Most mangabey groups will split up at night, though black mangabeys will all sleep in the same tree.
There are normally more females in mangabey groups than males. Male mangabeys will emigrate from their natal group. Females form linear hierarchies in some groups, but, studies suggest, perhaps not in all. More mutual grooming and alliances occur among the females.
Ranges can overlap with neighboring groups and mangabeys have been known to associate with other groups or with other primate species (guenons and colobus monkeys) in times when food is abundant. Sooty mangabeys will often seek out more arboreal monkeys and wait for them to drop fruit. Decreased food availability can lead to aggression between groups.
Mangabeys are normally a vocal group and have a variety of gestures and calls, including a loud call that can carry for quite a long way, and is used for spacing. This call is usually given in the morning.
It seems like more study is needed in the area of behavior.
Reproduction and Lifespan:
The estrus cycle for mangabeys is roughly 30 days for all species for which data is available. Females exhibit a pronounced sexual swelling during ovulation. Gestation length varies somewhat, from about 167-190 days. Gray-cheeked mangabeys have a birth season, while the others do not. Pregnant gray-cheeked females develop dark red nipples and perineum. A Tana River mangabey was observed to give birth in just four minutes. Females seem to be very interested in infants, while males are less so, though captive sooty mangabeys have been observed to carry infants to protect them. Sooty mangabey males have also been observed to engage in infanticide. Estrus females tend to mate with multiple males, though sexual consortships can be formed. Female sooty and Tana River mangabeys have a postconception estrus, which may serve to confuse paternity, though a captive study showed sooty males to be able to tell the difference between a maximal fertile swelling and a postconception swelling.
Mangabeys can live around 20-30 years, depending on the species.
Conservation Status:
All three Cercocebus species are Endangered, according to either the IUCN or the USESA. Gray-cheeked mangabeys are listed as Lower Risk by CITES II, while black mangabeys are classified as Data Deficient (IUCN.) Humans and mangabeys can compete for the same wild food sources, and they are also hunted by humans for meat and killed as crop-raiding pests. Black mangabeys are also prey for the crowned hawk eagle. Deforestation is also a continuing problem.
Interesting Mangabey Facts:
In captivity, male agile mangabeys display significantly more aggressive behavior than females.
Agile mangabeys and Tana River mangabeys have very similar vocalizations.
More is known about the sooty mangabey, a subspecies, than about the red-capped mangabey, the main species.
Sooty mangabeys have powerful jaws that can be used to crack nuts that other monkeys cannot crack.
Red-capped mangabeys are good swimmers.
Sooty mangabeys are the only species of primate besides humans that can acquire leprosy from another member of their own species.
Male gray-cheeked mangabeys can erect their shoulder hair to look larger.
Black mangabeys do not live in any protected areas.
Current Research with Mangabeys:
(Note: The following are examples of recent research done with these primates, it is by no means an exhaustive list. This list will be periodically updated as more information becomes available. Also, though Mindy's Memory Primate Sanctuary DOES NOT support invasive medical research on primates, some articles of this type will be listed - both for information and as examples of the work that is currently being done with these animals.)
Anonymous
SSP report: Mangabeys (Cercocebus ssp.). AZA COMMUNIQUE (Jul): 42-43, 1997.
Buck, MR
Female mate choice in sooty mangabeys: Social constraints on mating behavior. DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL A59(4): 1240, 1998. (To order: #AAD98-30133. University Microfilms, Inc, Ann Arbor, MI 48106)
Deputte, B L; Quris, R
Socialization processes in primates: Use of multivariate analyses. I: Application to social development of captive mangabeys. BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES 36(2): 135-149, 1996.
Fultz, P N; Su, L; May, P; West, J T
Isolation of sooty mangabey simian T-cell leukemia virus type I [STLV-I(sm)] and characterization of a mangabey T-cell line coinfected with STLV-I(sm) and simian immunodeficiency virus SIVsmmPBj14. VIROLOGY 235(2): 271-285, 1997.
Gust DA; McCaster T; Gordon TP; Gergits WF; Casna NJ; McClure HM
Paternity in sooty mangabeys. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY 19(1): 83-94, 1998.
Killam, L.
Surrogate mothering in red-capped mangabeys. AZA [AM ZOO AQUARIUM ASSOC] REGIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (1996): 105-108, 1996.
Maestripieri, D; Wallen, K; Carroll, K A
Genealogical and demographic influences on infant abuse and neglect in group-living sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys). DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY 31(3): 175-180, 1997.
Magliocca, F; Gautier-Hion, A
Social learning in primates: How to exchange tokens for food in mangabeys, Cercocebus torquatus torquatus. FOLIA PRIMATOLOGICA 69(1): 57-58, 1998. (Abstract)
O'Higgins P; Jones N Facial growth in Cercocebus torquatus: An application of three- dimensional geometric morphometric techniques to the study of morphological variation. JOURNAL OF ANATOMY 193(Pt 2): 251-272, 1998.
References:
Primate Information Center. , Manager. . Washington Regional Primate Research Center and the Health Sciences Libraries. University of Washington, Seattle
Melnick DJ and Pearl MC (1987) Cercopithecines in Multimale Groups: Genetic Diversity and Population Structure. In Primate Societies. B Smut, et al. (eds.) Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 121-134.
Rowe N (1996) The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates. East Hampton: Pogonias Press
Sleeper B (1997) Primates. San Francisco: Chronicle Books
