MANGABEY

(Cercocebus), any of several slender, rather long-limbed monkeys, belonging to the family Cercopithecidae, found in African rain forests. Mangabeys are fairly large, quadrupedal monkeys with large cheek pouches. They carry their long, tapering tails over their backs. Individual species range in head and body length from about 40 to almost 90 centimetres (1535 inches) and weigh up to about 6 kilograms (13 pounds); their tails are about as long as the head and body. There are, depending on the authority, four or five species of mangabeys, most of which have vivid white on the eyelids or around the eyes. Features distinguishing the species from each other include contrasting caps, white markings, and tufts of hair or pointed crests on the head. The white-collared (C. torquatus), sooty (C. atys or C. torquatus atys), and agile (C. galeritus) mangabeys are short-haired, primarily terrestrial animals with speckled, pale grayish-brown to dark-gray fur. The gray-cheeked (C. albigena) and black (C. aterrimus) mangabeys are more arboreal, long-haired monkeys whose fur is black and is not speckled. Little is known of the habits of wild mangabeys. They are social, reputedly quiet, and feed on seeds, fruit, and leaves. They are preyed on by leopards and crowned eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus).