Wolf's guenon

Wolf's guenon

We are delighted that Sabine Zilske has taken over the sponsorship of the guenon. This animal will soon be on display in the canopy of the rainforest exhibition.

The colourful wolf's guenons(Cercopithecus wolfi) are native to central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and as far north-east as Angola and western Uganda, where they are mainly found in lowland rainforests, but also in hillside and swamp forests.

Like all guenons, they usually live in harem groups in the higher canopy layers between 15 and 25 metres, where they forage for food during the day - mainly fruits, leaves and seeds, but also flowers and sometimes nectar and insects are on their menu.

In some areas, Wolf's guenons socialise in a "polyspecific association" with other guenons and mangabeys. As the different species forage together in the same area - usually complementing each other in terms of their preferred food - they enjoy greater protection from predators, which they warn each other of with their different calls. Wolf's guenons, for example, flee to the ground when a crowned eagle approaches.