GUENON

any of about 20 species of widely distributed African monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus, family Cercopithecidae. Guenons are slim, graceful, quadrupedal monkeys with long arms and legs, short faces, and nonprehensile tails that are longer than the combined head and body length of about 3065 cm (1226 inches). Guenons are known for the beauty of their soft, dense fur, which in many species has a speckled effect produced by the alternation of bands of two colours along the hair shaft. Guenons are commonly grayish, reddish, brown, green, or yellow; as a group, they are characterized by bold markings of white or bright colours. In general, these monkeys are arboreal forest dwellers. The basic social unit is the family; several families may mingle during the day but separate and return to favourite sleeping areas at night. Occasionally guenons associate with other monkeys. Guenons forage for leaves, fruit, and other vegetation and possibly for insects and other small animals; several species, such as the grivet (C. aethiops), L'Hoest's monkey (C. lhoesti), and the blue, or diadem, monkey (C. mitis), raid crops. Guenons seem to breed at any time of year; they have single young after a gestation period of approximately seven months. Numerous species are tamable and are among the finest zoo monkeys because of their hardiness, activity, good nature, and habit of grimacing at observers. With good care, their life span may exceed 2030 years. The grivet, vervet (C. pygerythrus), and green monkey (C. sabaeus) are ground-dwelling guenons sometimes known collectively as savanna monkeys because they are found on or near the savanna. These species are greenish with pale yellow or white underparts and black faces. The grivet has a white tuft on the tail tip and a thin, white browband that continues into backswept, white whiskers. The vervet has shorter whiskers and black hands, feet, and tail tip. The green monkey has yellow whiskers, grayish hands and feet, and a yellow and black tail. Several species of guenons have patches of short, contrastingly coloured fur on the nose. The spot-nosed guenon, or putty-nosed monkey (C. nictitans), is a common West African form with gray-flecked black fur and an oval, yellowish nose spot. Among other species with nose patches are the lesser spot-nosed guenon (C. petaurista) and the redtail (C. ascanius), both with heart-shaped, white nose spots. Some guenons are generally known by other names, among these the diana monkey (including roloway), owl-faced monkey (or Hamlyn's monkey), mona monkey, and DeBrazza's monkey (qq.v.). The patas monkey (q.v.) is sometimes known as the red guenon. The small, green talapoin, or mangrove monkey (Miopithecus), and the robustly built Allen's swamp monkey (Allenopithecus) are sometimes considered with the guenons as subgenera.