Blue monkey Facts

Blue monkey Facts
Blue monkey belongs to the group of Old World monkeys. There are 7 subspecies of blue monkeys that can be found in the eastern and central parts of Africa. Blue monkey inhabits dense, moist evergreen and bamboo forests on the high altitudes. These animals are often on a target of hunters because of their meat that is popular among local tribes. Other factor which negatively affects survival of blue monkeys in the wild is habitat loss. Despite these factors, population of blue monkeys is still large and stable. Blue monkeys are not on the list of endangered species.
Interesting Blue monkey Facts:
Blue monkey can reach 20 to 28 inches in length (not including the tail of the same length) and 9 to 18 pounds of weight. Males are much larger than females.
Blue monkey is covered with olive, grey or brown fur. Cap, legs and feet are dark brown or black colored. Unusual name "blue monkey" refers to the bluish-colored facial skin.
Blue monkey is also known as "diademed monkey" due to the patch of whitish or yellowish fur on the forehead that looks like a diadem.
Males have white whiskers and well developed canine teeth.
Blue monkey is diurnal animal (active during the day).
Blue monkey is adapted to the life in the treetops (arboreal species). It rarely descends to the ground.
Blue monkey is an omnivore (it eats plants and meat). Its diet is based on fruit (especially figs), leaves, insects and small invertebrates. When the food is scarce, blue monkey strips and eats bark of evergreen trees.
Blue monkeys live in large groups (called troops) composed of 10 to 40 members. Each troop consists of one dominant male, numerous females and their offspring.
Blue monkeys often groom each other and play together to strengthen the bonds between the members of the group.
Blue monkeys occasionally gather with other species of monkeys (such as red colobus and red-tailed monkeys) and form "alliances" to reduce risk of predation.
Main predators of blue monkeys are snakes, birds of prey and leopards.
Mating season of blue monkeys takes place during the rainy season. Single males fight with the leaders of the groups to overtake leadership and get opportunity to mate.
Females produce offspring once in 2 to 3 years. Pregnancy lasts 5 months and ends with one baby (infant). Baby is covered with fur and born with open eyes. It depends on the mother's milk during the first 6 months of its life.
Females are cooperative and they help in rearing of other infants beside their own babies (phenomenon called alloparenting). Blue monkeys reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 years. Males leave their native groups to establish their own troops..
Blue monkey can survive 20 years in the wild and more than 30 years in the captivity.

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