Brookfield Zoo announces birth of African monkey
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BROOKFIELD — There's a new baby at the Brookfield Zoo.
The Chicago Zoological Society says an Angolan colobus monkey was born at the suburban Chicago zoo on March 9 and now can be seen daily in the Tropic World: Africa exhibit.
The species is known for its black body and face, long white hair hanging from its shoulders and a long black-and-white tail.
Babies are born totally white and develop the adult coloration in about three months.
It's the first time a colobus monkey has been born at the Brookfield Zoo. Mammals curator Jay Peterson says four adult colobus monkeys arrived at Brookfield last August from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on a breeding loan.
The colobus is found in dense African rain forests and is threatened over parts of its range.
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, "The colobus is the most arboreal of all African monkeys and rarely descends to the ground. It uses branches as trampolines, jumping up and down on them to get liftoff for leaps of up to 50 feet. They leap up and then drop downward, falling with outstretched arms and legs to grab the next branch. Their mantle hair and tails are believed to act as a parachute during these long leaps.
"Colobus monkeys live in troops of about 5 to 10 animals—a dominant male, several females, and young. Each troop has its own territory which is well defined and defended from other troops. Adult troop members, especially males, make croaking roars that can be heard resonating throughout the forest."
