Colobus

Colobus is a genus of Old World monkeys, subfamily Colobinae, family Cercopithecidae, order Primates, native to Africa and comprising six species with at least eight recognized subspecies. Members inhabit primary and secondary forests, riverine forest and wooded grassland, favoring higher-density logged forest, and are recognized by distinctive black fur set off by white facial markings and a characteristic U-shaped band of long white fur along the body's sides; newborns are born entirely white with pink faces. The genus name derives from the Ancient Greek word kolobos, meaning docked or maimed, referring to its stump-like thumbs. Colobus monkeys are herbivorous, eating leaves, fruit, flowers, lichen and bark, and their ruminant-like digestive systems let them exploit ecological niches other primates cannot, making them significant seed dispersers. They live in territorial groups of three to fifteen individuals with complex social behavior, including greeting rituals and allomothering, and group composition ranges from single-male to multi-male, multi-female societies.