#primates — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #primates, aggregated by home.social.
-
🐒🎮 A #study involving rhesus #macaques shows that the #animals will engage with touch screen #puzzles even when no food rewards are provided.
Scientists at the University of #Tokyo observed the #primates solving challenges for long periods, suggesting that curiosity and intrinsic motivation are powerful drivers for their behavior. The #research challenges the idea that animal #learning is only motivated by external physical gains.
👉 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/monkey-video-game-without-reward-b2972968.html
#biology #science #monkeys #psychology #evolution #behavior #gaming
-
🐒🎮 A #study involving rhesus #macaques shows that the #animals will engage with touch screen #puzzles even when no food rewards are provided.
Scientists at the University of #Tokyo observed the #primates solving challenges for long periods, suggesting that curiosity and intrinsic motivation are powerful drivers for their behavior. The #research challenges the idea that animal #learning is only motivated by external physical gains.
👉 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/monkey-video-game-without-reward-b2972968.html
#biology #science #monkeys #psychology #evolution #behavior #gaming
-
🐒🎮 A #study involving rhesus #macaques shows that the #animals will engage with touch screen #puzzles even when no food rewards are provided.
Scientists at the University of #Tokyo observed the #primates solving challenges for long periods, suggesting that curiosity and intrinsic motivation are powerful drivers for their behavior. The #research challenges the idea that animal #learning is only motivated by external physical gains.
👉 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/monkey-video-game-without-reward-b2972968.html
#biology #science #monkeys #psychology #evolution #behavior #gaming
-
🐒🎮 A #study involving rhesus #macaques shows that the #animals will engage with touch screen #puzzles even when no food rewards are provided.
Scientists at the University of #Tokyo observed the #primates solving challenges for long periods, suggesting that curiosity and intrinsic motivation are powerful drivers for their behavior. The #research challenges the idea that animal #learning is only motivated by external physical gains.
👉 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/monkey-video-game-without-reward-b2972968.html
#biology #science #monkeys #psychology #evolution #behavior #gaming
-
🐒🎮 A #study involving rhesus #macaques shows that the #animals will engage with touch screen #puzzles even when no food rewards are provided.
Scientists at the University of #Tokyo observed the #primates solving challenges for long periods, suggesting that curiosity and intrinsic motivation are powerful drivers for their behavior. The #research challenges the idea that animal #learning is only motivated by external physical gains.
👉 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/monkey-video-game-without-reward-b2972968.html
#biology #science #monkeys #psychology #evolution #behavior #gaming
-
🐾 ■ Los científicos no dan crédito: macacos japoneses juegan a un videojuego durante casi 100 partidas seguidas sin recibir ninguna recompensa ■ Los investigadores están completamente sorprendidos tras el comportamiento de los primates.
https://www.huffingtonpost.es/life/animales/los-cientificos-dan-credito-macacos-japoneses-juegan-videojuego-100-partidas-seguidas-recibir-ninguna-recompensa-f202605.html?int=MASTODON_WORLD -
Gibraltar
‘Monkeys sharing a moment all too familiar to fellow humans.’Photograph: Bernardo Amorim
-
Gibraltar
‘Monkeys sharing a moment all too familiar to fellow humans.’Photograph: Bernardo Amorim
-
Gibraltar
‘Monkeys sharing a moment all too familiar to fellow humans.’Photograph: Bernardo Amorim
-
Gibraltar
‘Monkeys sharing a moment all too familiar to fellow humans.’Photograph: Bernardo Amorim
-
Gibraltar
‘Monkeys sharing a moment all too familiar to fellow humans.’Photograph: Bernardo Amorim
-
A Siamang and Her Little Passenger
The siamang barely moved while I framed the shot. Two long arms hooked around the timber, and then a bundle of jet-black fur with two enormous eyes peering up. I’d wandered over to Fota’s gibbon island half-expecting the usual whooping chorus, but instea...
https://inphotos.org/2026/05/06/a-siamang-and-her-little-passenger/
#BabyAnimals #Cork #FotaWildlifePark #gibbon #Ireland #MotherAndBaby #Photo #Photography #primates #siamang #WildlifePhotography #ZooPhotography
-
A Siamang and Her Little Passenger
The siamang barely moved while I framed the shot. Two long arms hooked around the timber, and then a bundle of jet-black fur with two enormous eyes peering up. I'd wandered over to Fota's gibbon island half-expecting the usual whooping chorus, but instead caught this quieter scene: mum holding her ground in a patch of sun, baby latched on to her. The light caught the auburn glints in her coat and the tiny one's startled little face, and I had maybe three seconds before she swung off into the […]https://inphotos.org/2026/05/06/a-siamang-and-her-little-passenger/
-
Cat wears cone for attention, twin baby lemurs born, dog rides jet ski, and a wacky wombat.
https://cutetropolis.com/2026/05/06/links-thats-using-your-cone-head/ #Cats #ConeHeads #Dogs #Kittens #Lemurs #Primates #Pups #Wombats -
💁🏻♀️ ICYMI: 🦍🌿 In 1978, #DavidAttenborough and his team traveled to #Rwanda to film mountain #gorillas for the #BBC series Life on Earth.
He used belch vocalizations to acknowledge the gorilla family and noted that #gorillas are not aggressive #animals. Attenborough has spent seven decades sharing the natural world with audiences and turns 100 on Friday, May 8.
👉 Learn more: https://seethis.tv/post/david-attenborough-gorilla-family-encounter-rwanda-video
#20thcentury #apes #babies #conservation #family #forest #interview #mountains #nature #history #science #wildlife #ecology #primates #mammals #tksst #video
-
🦍🌿 In 1978, #DavidAttenborough and his team traveled to #Rwanda to film mountain #gorillas for the #BBC series Life on Earth.
He used belch vocalizations to acknowledge the #gorilla family and noted that gorillas are not aggressive #animals. Attenborough spent 7 decades sharing the natural world with audiences and turns 100 on Friday, May 8.
👉 Learn more: https://seethis.tv/post/david-attenborough-gorilla-family-encounter-rwanda-video
#20thcentury #apes #babies #conservation #family #forest #interview #mountains #nature #history #science #wildlife #ecology #primates #mammals #tksst #video
-
7/
A Fragile FutureDespite their intelligence and capacity for love, #primates face a grim reality due to human expansion.
Deforestation: Rapid logging leaves intelligent mothers and infants clinging to fragile fragments of their clear-cut world.
Habitat Loss: In a heart-wrenching "David vs. Goliath" scenario, solitary #orangutans are seen desperately trying to fight off industrial bulldozers with their bare hands to protect their disappearing homes.
-
7/
A Fragile FutureDespite their intelligence and capacity for love, #primates face a grim reality due to human expansion.
Deforestation: Rapid logging leaves intelligent mothers and infants clinging to fragile fragments of their clear-cut world.
Habitat Loss: In a heart-wrenching "David vs. Goliath" scenario, solitary #orangutans are seen desperately trying to fight off industrial bulldozers with their bare hands to protect their disappearing homes.
-
7/
A Fragile FutureDespite their intelligence and capacity for love, #primates face a grim reality due to human expansion.
Deforestation: Rapid logging leaves intelligent mothers and infants clinging to fragile fragments of their clear-cut world.
Habitat Loss: In a heart-wrenching "David vs. Goliath" scenario, solitary #orangutans are seen desperately trying to fight off industrial bulldozers with their bare hands to protect their disappearing homes.
-
7/
A Fragile FutureDespite their intelligence and capacity for love, #primates face a grim reality due to human expansion.
Deforestation: Rapid logging leaves intelligent mothers and infants clinging to fragile fragments of their clear-cut world.
Habitat Loss: In a heart-wrenching "David vs. Goliath" scenario, solitary #orangutans are seen desperately trying to fight off industrial bulldozers with their bare hands to protect their disappearing homes.
-
Chez les primates, la fin du mythe du mâle dominant
2 mai 2026 - Magali Reinert
La féminisation de la primatologie a changé le regard que la science portait sur les rapports entre les sexes de nos lointains parents. Les femelles établissent une domination non par la force, mais en contrôlant la reproduction.
1/
#Primates #Animaux #Féminisme #Masculinité #Masculinisme #Misogynie #Domination #Science #Primatologie #Reproduction #Sexisme #VSS #ViolencesSexuelles #Sexualité
-
Chez les primates, la fin du mythe du mâle dominant
2 mai 2026 - Magali Reinert
La féminisation de la primatologie a changé le regard que la science portait sur les rapports entre les sexes de nos lointains parents. Les femelles établissent une domination non par la force, mais en contrôlant la reproduction.
1/
#Primates #Animaux #Féminisme #Masculinité #Masculinisme #Misogynie #Domination #Science #Primatologie #Reproduction #Sexisme #VSS #ViolencesSexuelles #Sexualité
-
Chez les primates, la fin du mythe du mâle dominant
2 mai 2026 - Magali Reinert
La féminisation de la primatologie a changé le regard que la science portait sur les rapports entre les sexes de nos lointains parents. Les femelles établissent une domination non par la force, mais en contrôlant la reproduction.
1/
#Primates #Animaux #Féminisme #Masculinité #Masculinisme #Misogynie #Domination #Science #Primatologie #Reproduction #Sexisme #VSS #ViolencesSexuelles #Sexualité
-
Chez les primates, la fin du mythe du mâle dominant
2 mai 2026 - Magali Reinert
La féminisation de la primatologie a changé le regard que la science portait sur les rapports entre les sexes de nos lointains parents. Les femelles établissent une domination non par la force, mais en contrôlant la reproduction.
1/
#Primates #Animaux #Féminisme #Masculinité #Masculinisme #Misogynie #Domination #Science #Primatologie #Reproduction #Sexisme #VSS #ViolencesSexuelles #Sexualité
-
Chez les primates, la fin du mythe du mâle dominant
2 mai 2026 - Magali Reinert
La féminisation de la primatologie a changé le regard que la science portait sur les rapports entre les sexes de nos lointains parents. Les femelles établissent une domination non par la force, mais en contrôlant la reproduction.
1/
#Primates #Animaux #Féminisme #Masculinité #Masculinisme #Misogynie #Domination #Science #Primatologie #Reproduction #Sexisme #VSS #ViolencesSexuelles #Sexualité
-
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: Largest open dataset of great ape cognition. “A new publication introduces the EVApeCognition Dataset, a major open-access resource designed to advance research into the cognition of great apes. Compiling 262 experimental datasets from 150 scientific publications, the dataset was produced at the Wolfgang Köhler Primate Research Center in Leipzig, Germany, between 2004 […]
https://rbfirehose.com/2026/04/24/max-planck-gesellschaft-largest-open-dataset-of-great-ape-cognition/ -
🧠🕹️ Scientists at the University of #Rochester used #brain-computer interfaces to help #monkeys navigate a #VR environment. The #primates learned to control their digital avatars using neural signals rather than physical movements.
#robotics #biology #science #neuroscience #technology #tech #research #innovation #computers
-
🦧📉 Researchers at #Uganda’s #Kibale National Park tracked a decade-long conflict after a massive community of #chimpanzees divided. The study in the journal #Science documents how former social partners became rivals when their connecting social ties decayed.
👉 https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/nx-s1-5781149/chimpanzee-civil-war-primate-conflict-anthropology
#primatology #anthropology #wildlife #evolution #nature #biology #primates #apes
-
#PalmOil and #timber expansion on #Sulawesi #Indonesia 🇮🇩 threatens the home of one of the world’s oldest and most emotionally expressive #primates, the Sulawesi black crested #macaque 🐵🐒🤎Help them survive #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸☠️🔥🚜⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/14/deforestation-on-indonesian-island-of-sulawesi-destroys-habitat-of-endemic-primates/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer
-
🦊🐛 In the forests of #Madagascar, #lemurs have learned to use #millipedes as a specialized form of #medicine.
By gently biting the #insects, the #primates trigger the release of defensive #chemicals that act as a potent repellent against #malaria-carrying #mosquitoes. The lemurs rub the secretions into their fur and even ingest small amounts to treat internal parasites. The toxins cause a brief, trancelike state.
👉 https://www.discoverwildlife.com/tv/lemurs-licking-millipedes-bbc
#wildlife #nature #science #biology #chemistry #evolution #BBC #animals
-
#News: Great #apes tease and prank each other 🤡😛🦍🦧🐵🐒 just as humans do. Incl. body-slamming, hair-pulling, waving objects in front of each other’s faces – new #research study finds #sentience #primatology #primates #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife https://wp.me/pcFhgU-7gR?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer
-
"Humans instinctively mimic the facial expressions of monkeys and apes"
https://www.earth.com/news/humans-instinctively-mimic-the-facial-expressions-of-monkeys-and-apes/
"People don’t just recognize emotions on the faces of monkeys and apes. They also tend to copy those expressions without meaning to.
A new study suggests that, when we watch a non-human primate look playful or threatening, our own faces subtly echo what we see …"
You might be doing it right now 😮
-
#Primates like #howler 🐒and spider #monkeys in #Mexico 🇲🇽 are declining due to overhunting by big cats: #pumas and #jaguars. They’re forced by #deforestation 🌳 into smaller areas. Help them survive! #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect.bsky.social https://wp.me/pcFhgU-92D?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer
-
@leehall Funny to see a notification that you had followed me on here, only a couple hours after I read your piece in CounterPunch. Always inspired by the creative dredging of our suppressed and falsified history.
Students laugh at me because I never quit banging on about how we are apes. I think it does sink in for some of them....
-
A viral monkey, his plushie, and a 70-year-old experiment: what Punch tells us about attachment theory
-
🦍💪 While a silverback #gorilla has the power to bend iron bars, even the tiny potto has a grip so strong it’s nearly impossible to move.
Researchers in #Africa and #SouthAmerica are studying how these different #primates evolved specialized muscles for everything from "one-armed pull-ups" to explosive jumps.
👉 https://www.discoverwildlife.com/mammals/worlds-strongest-primates
💁🏻♀️ Learn more: Ocean-Hopping Primates: How monkeys crossed the Atlantic https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/ocean-hopping-primates-how-monkeys-crossed-the-atlantic
#wildlife #biology #evolution #nature #science #gorillas #chimpanzees #biomechanics #animals #apes #monkeys
-
Can apes play pretend? Scientists use an imaginary tea party to find out.
-
👋🐒 We know many #animals greet each other, but the "goodbye" is a much more complicated social feat.
Researchers are studying how great #apes use specific gestures to signal the end of an interaction, revealing a sense of mutual obligation that was once thought to be unique to humans.
👉 https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/animals-say-hello-but-do-they-say-goodbye
#behavior #biology #science #nature #wildlife #education #primates
-
RE: https://mastodon.social/@theperpetuallycurious8/115645741741942994
🥁 Did you know a baby gorilla’s gentle chest pats are the first steps toward one of the forest’s most powerful signals?
As adults, male gorillas produce chest beats that can travel over half a mile. Research shows these drumming patterns encode body size and vary between individuals, carrying presence through the forest canopy.
🌿 Every beat tells a story.
✍️ More circles of care await in the original thread ⬇️
#Apes #Primates #AnimalBehavior #Wildlife #Biodiversity #TPC8
-
27-Nov-2025
#Metronome-trained #monkeys can tap to the #beat of human #music -
RE: https://sciences.social/@primatology/115572642951558575
New long-term data from Ngogo chimpanzees show that lethal territorial gains led to major boosts in fertility and infant survival. The findings offer a rare, living model for how spatial competition and resource control may have shaped past hominin societies. #Anthropology #Primates #HumanEvolution #PNAS
-
Comunidad científica de luto por la muerte de la destacada etóloga Jane Goodall | vía #UChileRadio
#chimpaces #comunidadcientífica #fallecimiento #janegoodall #primates
-
The light was not great on these monkeys but... I have finally developed something to capture the mood of this family.
#Photograph #Photography #Monkeys #Primates #Wildlife #WildlifeMoments #Nature #Family #BabyAnimal #Cute
-
One of #WestAfrica and the world's most endangered #primates 🐵you've never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer
-
#Animals #Chimpanzee #Human #Apes #Primates #Intelligence #Grooming #Animal #Monkey #Fascinating #Wildlife #Nature #Woman #Chimp #Groom
A compelling, fascinating and strangely beautiful video. Have you ever seen a chimpanzee grooming a human? Nope, me neither, and this is absolutely amazing. The chimp’s very systematic, compassionate, and clearly knows what she’s doing.
Animals are way smarter than we think, and here’s the proof…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INAH_Rq0gdw -
Two #NewSpecies of ancient primates resembling #lemurs identified https://phys.org/news/2023-09-species-ancient-primates-resembling-lemurs.html
New specimens of middle Eocene omomyines (Primates, Omomyoidea) from the Uinta Basin of Utah and the Tornillo Basin of Texas, with clarification of the generic status of Ourayia, Mytonius, and Diablomomys https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248423001045
"#Fossil evidence from the #Tornillo Basin in W #Texas & #Uinta Basin in #Utah reveals two new species of #omomyids—a family of small-bodied early #primates from the #Eocene"
-
Western Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorilla
Mighty, intelligent and gentle Western Lowland Gorillas are well-loved apes, they are #critically endangered by #deforestation and habitat loss for #palmoil, cocoa and mining along with disease and illegal poaching in #Congo #Nigeria #Cameroon Help them to survive every time you shop! Join the #Boycott4Wildlife
Western Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorilla
Mighty and gentle Western Lowland Gorilla are well-loved apes 💌🦍, they are #critically endangered by #deforestation for #palmoil 🌴 #cocoa 🍫 in #Congo #Nigeria #Cameroon Help them to survive! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/07/10/western-lowland-gorilla-gorilla-gorilla/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterDespite superior intelligence and tight-knit families, Western Lowland #Gorillas 🦍 are critically #endangered by #palmoil and #tobacco #deforestation and #poaching 😓 Don’t let them vanish! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴💀🔥🚫 @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/07/10/western-lowland-gorilla-gorilla-gorilla/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterCritically Endangered
Angola (Cabinda); Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Equatorial Guinea (Equatorial Guinea (mainland)); Gabon; Nigeria
Western Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorillaWestern Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorillaWestern Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorillaWestern Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorillaWestern Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorillaHabitat loss is emerging as a major threat to Western Gorillas. Other threats include disease and poaching. As oil-palm plantations in Asia reach capacity, Africa is becoming the new frontier for this crop, offering excellent economic prospects in countries with appropriate rainfall, soil and temperatures (Rival and Lavang 2014). Unfortunately, such areas coincide with good Gorilla habitat: 73.8% of the Western Lowland Gorilla’s range is considered suitable for oil palm (Wich et al. 2014).
IUCN red list
Western Lowland Gorillas are found in Angola (Cabinda enclave), Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), mainland Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni), Gabon, Nigeria and Republic of Congo. Until recently, the core population had an almost continuous distribution from southern CAR to the Congo River and west to the coast. Rivers are the primary geographic barrier for this taxon, followed by habitat fragmentation: the two subspecies are separated by a major river (the Sanaga), and Western Lowland Gorillas are divided into subpopulations by other major rivers in the region (Anthony et al. 2007, Fünfstück et al. 2014, Fünfstück and Vigilant 2015).
The northwestern limit of the western lowland subspecies distribution is the Sanaga River in Cameroon; the northern limit is the forest-savanna boundary to a maximum of roughly 6°N; the eastern limit is the Ubangi River; the Congo River south of its confluence with the Ubangi then becomes the southeastern and southern limits all the way to the coast. Small outlying populations of the Cross River subspecies remain on the Nigeria-Cameroon border at the headwaters of the Cross River and in the proposed Ebo National Park in Cameroon. Most Western Gorillas are found below 500 m asl, but those living on mountains occasionally reach elevations of 1,900 m asl.
Western Gorillas are diurnal and semi-terrestrial. They build nests to sleep in every night, usually on the ground but sometimes in trees. They are social and live in stable, cohesive groups composed of one “silverback” adult male, several adult females and their offspring. Gorillas are not territorial and group ranges overlap extensively.
Western Lowland Gorillas occur in both swamp and lowland forests throughout Western Equatorial Africa. They are especially common where ground vegetation is dominated by monocotyledonous plants. Their staple foods are leaves and shoots of the Marantaceae family, whereas fruit consumption varies greatly between seasons (Rogers et al. 2004). Some populations spend hours feeding on aquatic herbs in swamps. Social ants and termites are the only animal matter deliberately eaten. Group size averages 10, but is occasionally over 20 individuals, and annual home ranges are usually 10–25 km² (Williamson and Butynski 2013).
Male Western Gorillas take 18 years to reach full maturity, whereas females take around 10 years. Their length of the reproductive cycle is unknown. Infant mortality up to three years of age is 22–65%. Infants suckle for 4–5 years, causing lactational amenorrhea in the mother. Interbirth intervals are 4–6 years. Western Gorillas appear to reproduce more slowly than Eastern Gorillas (G. beringei). The maximum length of their lives is unknown but likely to be around 40 years. Generation time is estimated to be 22 years.
The recent expansion of industrial-scale mineral extraction and the creation of open-pit mines are of great concern (Edwards et al. 2014, Lanjouw 2014), and also lead to the establishment of development corridors, which can be several kilometres wide and add to areas of “lost forest” (Laurance et al. 2015). There is a disconnect between the various bodies responsible for land-use planning in the realms of conservation, mining and agriculture in all Western Gorilla range states except Gabon. Consequently, there is increasing competition for land between long-term conservation needs and immediate financial gain as governments explore the potential of clearing natural habitat in favour of economic development. Without careful and immediate land-use planning that involves cooperation between the government bodies responsible for protected areas and wildlife on one hand, and economic and agricultural development on the other, large areas of Western Lowland Gorilla habitat could be cleared within a few decades.
You can support this beautiful animal
Further Information
Maisels, F., Bergl, R.A. & Williamson, E.A. 2018. Gorilla gorilla (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T9404A136250858. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T9404A136250858.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.
Western Lowland Gorilla Gorilla gorilla
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,392 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Africa #Angola #Ape #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Cameroon #CentralAfricanRepublic #cocoa #Congo #critically #CriticallyEndangeredSpecies #criticallyendangered #deforestation #DemocracticRepublicOfCongo #endangered #EquatorialGuinea #Gabon #Gorillas #meat #Nigeria #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #TheDemocraticRepublicOfCongo #timber #tobacco #WesternGorillaGorillaGorilla
-
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Status: Endangered (IUCN 2020)
Location: West Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia
The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered #primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting. Once abundant in mature forests across the region, they have been driven to the brink of #extinction by rampant deforestation for charcoal, palm oil and mining and the increasing demand for #bushmeat. Widespread clearing of forests for industrial #palmoil plantations, #mining, and #timber has fragmented their habitat, isolating populations and making them more vulnerable to #poaching. Without urgent intervention, their future remains uncertain. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
One of #WestAfrica and the world’s most endangered #primates 🐵you’ve never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterForest clearing in #WestAfrica for #charcoal #palmoil and #mining ⛏️ are threats for the elusive and #endangered #primate 🐵🐒🙈 Western Red #Colobus. Help them to survive, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🤢🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance and behaviour
Western Red Colobus are striking primates with a rich reddish-orange coat, contrasting with a darker face and limbs. They are highly social and live in large multi-male, multi-female groups of up to 90 individuals. Their interactions are characterised by grooming, play, and cooperative care of young, which strengthens group cohesion. Unlike some primates, they rely on an intricate vocal system to communicate, warning each other of danger and coordinating group movements.
Primarily arboreal, they move gracefully through the forest canopy, favouring mature, old-growth trees. However, in more northern populations, they have been observed travelling and foraging on the ground, a behaviour that may be increasing due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Western Red Colobus have a specialised diet consisting mainly of fruit, seeds, and young leaves. Unlike many other primates, they rely heavily on digesting leaves, which are fermented in their complex stomachs. This adaptation allows them to survive in environments where fruit is less abundant.
In degraded forests where food availability is low, these primates have been observed consuming cultivated crops such as mango, indicating a level of dietary flexibility. However, reliance on human-grown food brings them into conflict with local communities, increasing their vulnerability to persecution.
The diet of the Western Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and other primates in Africa is shaped by food availability and environmental changes, with significant variation across different regions and seasons. DNA studies have revealed a diverse diet comprising a high richness of plant species, though individuals in fragmented forests consume a greater variety of plants than those in well-preserved habitats. In Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, 11% of their diet consists of cultivated foods like mango, highlighting their adaptability to human-altered landscapes. However, the long-term consequences of these dietary shifts remain unclear, raising concerns about their ability to sustain populations in degraded habitats (Aleixo-Pais et al., 2023).
Threats
Palm oil, charcoal and mining deforestation
The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea has destroyed vast tracts of forest, replacing diverse ecosystems with monoculture plantations. These plantations provide no habitat for wildlife, forcing colobus monkeys and other African primates such as mandrills and colobuses into increasingly smaller and more fragmented forest patches where survival is difficult.
Hunting for bushmeat
Western Red Colobus are one of the most heavily hunted primate species in West Africa. Their trusting nature and slow movement make them easy targets for hunters. In Guinea-Bissau alone, nearly 200 individuals are killed each dry season to supply urban bushmeat markets. Similar levels of hunting occur across their range, with skins also being sold for ritualistic practices.
Logging and habitat destruction
Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, palm oil and mining has significantly reduced the Western Red Colobus’ habitat. Forest loss in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea has been among the fastest in the world, with Côte d’Ivoire alone losing 17% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2015. Many areas designated as “protected” no longer contain forest, having been converted to plantations.
Civil conflict and human-wildlife conflict
Decades of civil unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have devastated conservation efforts, allowing illegal hunting and habitat destruction to go unchecked. Additionally, as forests disappear, colobus monkeys are increasingly forced to enter agricultural land, where they are viewed as pests and killed in retaliation.
Reproduction and mating
Western Red Colobus do not have a fixed breeding season, and infants are born throughout the year. Newborns are highly dependent on their mothers, clinging to them for warmth and security. While mothers provide most of the direct care, other females in the group often assist in carrying and grooming the young.
Males play a more protective role, defending the group from predators and external threats. Unlike some primates, they do not exhibit strong territorial behaviour but will vocalise aggressively and form defensive group formations when threatened.
Geographic range
Western Red Colobus are found in fragmented populations across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia. They primarily inhabit primary and secondary forests but can also be found in gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally in human-modified landscapes.
FAQs
Why are Western Red Colobus endangered?
They are primarily threatened by habitat destruction due to palm oil plantations, logging, and mining, combined with intensive hunting for the bushmeat trade.
Do Western Red Colobus monkeys make good pets?
No. Keeping them as pets is both illegal and unethical. They are highly social, arboreal primates that require vast forest habitats to survive. The illegal pet trade further threatens their already declining populations.
Where can Western Red Colobus be found?
These primates are found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. However, their populations are highly fragmented.
Are Western Red Colobus aggressive?
They are not typically aggressive towards humans but will display defensive behaviours if they feel threatened. They rely on vocalisations and group defence rather than physical confrontation.
How can we help Western Red Colobus?
Protecting their remaining habitat, banning hunting, and supporting conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival. Consumers can also help by boycotting products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil and timber.
Take Action!
The fate of the Western Red Colobus and other African primates is inextricably tied to the choices people make every day. By rejecting products that contain palm oil and supporting organisations fighting against illegal hunting and deforestation, individuals can help protect these remarkable primates. Conservation groups working in West Africa urgently need funding and international pressure to push governments to enforce anti-hunting laws and preserve remaining forests. Use your voice and purchasing power to demand change. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
In both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, more than half of the closed forest in the forest reserves has been converted to plantation or farmland, or cleared and left bare (Bitty et al. 2015).
IUCN Red List
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Support the conservation of this species
Further Information
Aleixo-Pais, et. al. (2023). Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1280277. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277
McGraw, S., Minhós, T., Bersacola, E., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., Mayhew, M., Oates, J.F. & Starin, E.D. 2020. Piliocolobus badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T161247840A161259430. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T161247840A161259430.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.
Linder, J. M. et. al (2021). Red colobus (Piliocolobus) conservation action plan 2021-2026. IUCN/Primate Specialist Group.
Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Western Red Colobus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_colobus
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,398 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #charcoal #Colobus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #Guinea #GuineaBissau #IvoryCoast #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #mining #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #Sierra #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #timber #vegan #WestAfrica #WesternRedColobusPiliocolobusBadius
-
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Status: Endangered (IUCN 2020)
Location: West Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia
The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered #primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting. Once abundant in mature forests across the region, they have been driven to the brink of #extinction by rampant deforestation for charcoal, palm oil and mining and the increasing demand for #bushmeat. Widespread clearing of forests for industrial #palmoil plantations, #mining, and #timber has fragmented their habitat, isolating populations and making them more vulnerable to #poaching. Without urgent intervention, their future remains uncertain. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
One of #WestAfrica and the world’s most endangered #primates 🐵you’ve never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterForest clearing in #WestAfrica for #charcoal #palmoil and #mining ⛏️ are threats for the elusive and #endangered #primate 🐵🐒🙈 Western Red #Colobus. Help them to survive, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🤢🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance and behaviour
Western Red Colobus are striking primates with a rich reddish-orange coat, contrasting with a darker face and limbs. They are highly social and live in large multi-male, multi-female groups of up to 90 individuals. Their interactions are characterised by grooming, play, and cooperative care of young, which strengthens group cohesion. Unlike some primates, they rely on an intricate vocal system to communicate, warning each other of danger and coordinating group movements.
Primarily arboreal, they move gracefully through the forest canopy, favouring mature, old-growth trees. However, in more northern populations, they have been observed travelling and foraging on the ground, a behaviour that may be increasing due to habitat destruction.
Diet
Western Red Colobus have a specialised diet consisting mainly of fruit, seeds, and young leaves. Unlike many other primates, they rely heavily on digesting leaves, which are fermented in their complex stomachs. This adaptation allows them to survive in environments where fruit is less abundant.
In degraded forests where food availability is low, these primates have been observed consuming cultivated crops such as mango, indicating a level of dietary flexibility. However, reliance on human-grown food brings them into conflict with local communities, increasing their vulnerability to persecution.
The diet of the Western Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and other primates in Africa is shaped by food availability and environmental changes, with significant variation across different regions and seasons. DNA studies have revealed a diverse diet comprising a high richness of plant species, though individuals in fragmented forests consume a greater variety of plants than those in well-preserved habitats. In Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, 11% of their diet consists of cultivated foods like mango, highlighting their adaptability to human-altered landscapes. However, the long-term consequences of these dietary shifts remain unclear, raising concerns about their ability to sustain populations in degraded habitats (Aleixo-Pais et al., 2023).
Threats
Palm oil, charcoal and mining deforestation
The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea has destroyed vast tracts of forest, replacing diverse ecosystems with monoculture plantations. These plantations provide no habitat for wildlife, forcing colobus monkeys and other African primates such as mandrills and colobuses into increasingly smaller and more fragmented forest patches where survival is difficult.
Hunting for bushmeat
Western Red Colobus are one of the most heavily hunted primate species in West Africa. Their trusting nature and slow movement make them easy targets for hunters. In Guinea-Bissau alone, nearly 200 individuals are killed each dry season to supply urban bushmeat markets. Similar levels of hunting occur across their range, with skins also being sold for ritualistic practices.
Logging and habitat destruction
Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, palm oil and mining has significantly reduced the Western Red Colobus’ habitat. Forest loss in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea has been among the fastest in the world, with Côte d’Ivoire alone losing 17% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2015. Many areas designated as “protected” no longer contain forest, having been converted to plantations.
Civil conflict and human-wildlife conflict
Decades of civil unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have devastated conservation efforts, allowing illegal hunting and habitat destruction to go unchecked. Additionally, as forests disappear, colobus monkeys are increasingly forced to enter agricultural land, where they are viewed as pests and killed in retaliation.
Reproduction and mating
Western Red Colobus do not have a fixed breeding season, and infants are born throughout the year. Newborns are highly dependent on their mothers, clinging to them for warmth and security. While mothers provide most of the direct care, other females in the group often assist in carrying and grooming the young.
Males play a more protective role, defending the group from predators and external threats. Unlike some primates, they do not exhibit strong territorial behaviour but will vocalise aggressively and form defensive group formations when threatened.
Geographic range
Western Red Colobus are found in fragmented populations across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia. They primarily inhabit primary and secondary forests but can also be found in gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally in human-modified landscapes.
FAQs
Why are Western Red Colobus endangered?
They are primarily threatened by habitat destruction due to palm oil plantations, logging, and mining, combined with intensive hunting for the bushmeat trade.
Do Western Red Colobus monkeys make good pets?
No. Keeping them as pets is both illegal and unethical. They are highly social, arboreal primates that require vast forest habitats to survive. The illegal pet trade further threatens their already declining populations.
Where can Western Red Colobus be found?
These primates are found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. However, their populations are highly fragmented.
Are Western Red Colobus aggressive?
They are not typically aggressive towards humans but will display defensive behaviours if they feel threatened. They rely on vocalisations and group defence rather than physical confrontation.
How can we help Western Red Colobus?
Protecting their remaining habitat, banning hunting, and supporting conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival. Consumers can also help by boycotting products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil and timber.
Take Action!
The fate of the Western Red Colobus and other African primates is inextricably tied to the choices people make every day. By rejecting products that contain palm oil and supporting organisations fighting against illegal hunting and deforestation, individuals can help protect these remarkable primates. Conservation groups working in West Africa urgently need funding and international pressure to push governments to enforce anti-hunting laws and preserve remaining forests. Use your voice and purchasing power to demand change. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife
In both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, more than half of the closed forest in the forest reserves has been converted to plantation or farmland, or cleared and left bare (Bitty et al. 2015).
IUCN Red List
Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius
Support the conservation of this species
Further Information
Aleixo-Pais, et. al. (2023). Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1280277. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277
McGraw, S., Minhós, T., Bersacola, E., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., Mayhew, M., Oates, J.F. & Starin, E.D. 2020. Piliocolobus badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T161247840A161259430. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T161247840A161259430.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.
Linder, J. M. et. al (2021). Red colobus (Piliocolobus) conservation action plan 2021-2026. IUCN/Primate Specialist Group.
Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Western Red Colobus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_colobus
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
Join 1,398 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your support#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #charcoal #Colobus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #Guinea #GuineaBissau #IvoryCoast #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #mining #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #Sierra #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #timber #vegan #WestAfrica #WesternRedColobusPiliocolobusBadius
