Family Domschke

We are delighted that Ok-Nam, Peri, Kaya, Karam and Andreas Domschke have taken over the sponsorship of the red snub-nosed monkey(Piliocolobus foai).

The Central African snub-nosed monkeys are typical inhabitants of the rainforests north of the inner Congo basin. They and the related species are called "stumpy monkeys" because their thumbs are so far back that they are no longer recognisable from the outside. The other fingers, however, are exceptionally long, as is the tail - adaptations to the tree-dwelling lifestyle that make the animals excellent climbers.

During the day, the animals roam the treetops in large social groups of over 50 members in search of food - mainly leaves, fruit and young shoots. To digest the nutrient-poor leaf food, they have a four-chambered stomach, similar to ruminants, in which the cellulose is broken down with the help of bacteria.

Scientists are not entirely in agreement about the relationship of the Central African marmosets: while they used to be grouped together with others under the species name Procolobus badius, they are now categorised under the genus Piliocolobus, which is divided into different species depending on the author. Due to the uncertain systematic categorisation, the current endangered status of the species has not been conclusively determined.