Cercocebus torquatus
(C.
t. torquatus)
1792
C. torquatus torquatus by Kerr
Simia (Cercopithecus) aethiops torquatus
by Kerr
(“white-eyelid mangabeys”)
1797
C. torquatus atys by Audenbert
1821
C. aethiopicus by F. Cuvier
1843
C. crossii by Gray
C. collaris
by Gray
2006
C. torquatus by IUCN/SSC Primate Sp Group
In Spanish the common name is “mangabey de collar blanco”
In
Dutch the common name is “westafrikaanse mangabey”
In Swedish the common name is “kragmangab”
Information From the Wild
Distribution is through Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Their western-most border was thought to be the Niger River (Schwarz, 1928) but Happold (1973) recorded specimens further west. It appears that the Dahomey Gap or the Volta River may be where the range of C. torquatus ends and the point where C. atys begins (Groves, 1978). Semi-terrestrial "form" of mangabey with marked sexual dimorphism. C. torquatus occurs mostly in the dense vegetation of inland swamp and gallery forests and in primary and secondary forests at river margins. These forests exhibit a dense, often closed canopy 10 to 12 m (33 to 39.5 ft) high (Jones, Sabater Pi, 1968).
In the Camp Animal Reserve in southwestern Cameron there was a strong dependency on the canopy fruit year-around. Other items in their omnivorous diet included tender parts of shoots, ant species and insects, mushrooms, small prey items and flowers (Mitani, 1989: Jones, Sabater Pi, 1968 in Kilimi, Sierra Leone). They are found to forage on the ground as well as up to 40 m (130 feet) high in the forest.
Multi-male group size is approximately 14 to 23 animals (Jones, Sabater Pi, 1968) and in the Kilimi region of Northwest Sierra Leone, group size was observed to contain 3 to 37 individuals (Harding, 1984). In the Korup Project Area of southwestern Gabon, group size was observed at 20 – 33 (Waltert, et al, 2002). In the Campo Animal Reserve, they often split into subgroups for foraging. Solitary males were sometimes observed but all-male groups were not (Mitani, 1989). In Nigeria, many flooded areas that once had mangabeys, current census (1996 – 98) show very few (Tooze, pers. comm.). This may be due to the combination of increased hunting and deforestation issues.
Description
The head is a dark maroon-red, the hairs being black tipped. There is usually a whorl on the crown, fairly forward near the forehead. The dorsal stripe is present but not well defined. Overall body coloration is a chestnut brown (with gray-black hue in some individuals) with the underside to the chin being white. White hair on the side of the head (just under the red cap) which extends around the neck like a collar to a white patch on the back of the head. The dark chestnut brown tail is white at the end. The skin on the hands, feet and face are dark gray to black. The upper eyelid areas are white.
There appears to be quite a bit of variation in the skull size from different geographic localities. Skulls from the north of the Sanaga (Mamfe, Yabassi) are very large, with relatively narrow faces; from Cameroon south of the Sanaga, short faced; from Gabon, relatively narrow across the upper face and zygomata. There are also slight differences between coastal and inland populations in Cameroon (Groves, 1978). Groves (1978) reported that the length of the white tail tip also varies geographically. The Cameroon coast, 190-235 mm (7.5-9.2 inches); Yabassi, 120-190 mm (4.7-7.5 inches); Nigeria, 90-220 mm (3.5-8.7 inches). Houston Zoo (1994) reported that the white tail tip is approximately the last 15% of the tail. Although there appears to be different lines or races within C. torquatus, no clear demarcations justifying subspecies classifications can be seen.
In Captivity - North American Region
C. torquatus makes up the largest studbook subset in the North American Region with a historic population of 337 individuals since 1875. Current population is 29 individuals. Historically, this species has been housed in pairs and more commonly in group settings consisting of one adult male and several adult females with offspring. This has led to periodic rapid population growths and over-representation of certain males and family lines. These population bursts also created a shortage of holding spaces in zoos, therefore some of these animals were subsequently lost to other global regions or to non-AZA facilities.
Weights of adult females range from approximately 7 kg (17 lb) to 10 kg (23 lb). Adult males range from approximately 11 kg (25.5 lb) to 18 kg (41 lb) (Houston Zoo). Males become sexually dimorphic (secondary sexual characteristic) beginning at 5 years of age (Houston Zoo, weight records). Mature males are not only larger in size than females but are very thickset as well.
Gestation was reported by Hill (1974) to be 213 days, but the Houston Zoo (1994) reported 171-179 days, which appears to be in keeping with the other mangabey species. Weight at birth is unknown but one individual at Day 1 weighed 0.593 kg (1.32 lb) and another individual was 0.9 kg (2 lb) at one month of age (Houston Zoo). As with C. galeritus galeritus, C. chrysogaster and C. atys atys, C. torquatus shows postconception perineal swellings during the last part of the first trimester (Houston Zoo, 1994). This is thought to confuse paternity therefore helping to prevent infanticide by males in the group (Kinnaird, 1990). Houston Zoo has also documented implantation bleeding during pregnancy. No birth seasonality has been observed and no twin births have been recorded in this region.
Vocalizations such as alarm calls and spacing calls by adult males have been documented. Facial demonstrations and body posturing appear to be very important and common communication mediums. Threat gestures can be accentuated by raising the eyebrows, therefore exposing the white areas above the eyes. There are currently C. torquatus in captivity in Europe (Field, pers. comm.).