The L’Hoest’s monkey Nyungwe Forest Rwanda

L’Hoest’s monkey Nyungwe-Forest Safari-Rwanda: The L’Hoest’s monkey or the mountain monkey is scientifically known as (Cercopithecus lhoesti) and it is a species commonly seen within the eastern Congo-basin. They mainly prefer living in mountainous forested areas and stay in small groups that are dominated by the females. Their coat is dark and are distinguished by their white colored beard.

Classification of the L’Hoest’s Monkey

The L’Hoest’s monkey is classified as a genus Cercopithecus member, and it’s closely similar to Hamlyn’s monkey (C. hamlyni) not only in size, but distribution as well. Previously, these L’Hoest’s monkeys included the taxon preussi from the Gulf-of-Guinea area as a subspecies however its currently regarded as a separate species – Preuss’s monkey (C. preussi), and this with the sun-tailed monkey (C. solatus), these form the C. lhoesti group.

However recent studies done in 2003 raise doubts regarding the classifications of these monkeys as part of the genus Cercopithecus.

Physical Characteristics of the L’Hoest’s monkey

The L’Hoest’s monkey has a dark brown coat, a dark belly and a chestnut color running across its back. It has light gray colored cheeks and a pale moustache, with an outstanding white bib.

They are generally short with an average body length range between (12 and 27 inches) or (32 and 69 cm); their tail is between 9 and 39 inch and its hook-shaped at the far tip..

On average the males weigh 6 kilograms while the females are smaller and weigh about 3.5 kilograms. At birth, their eyes are opened and their bodies are fully coated.

Habitat of the L’Hoest’s Monkey and Their Distribution

The L’Hoest’s monkeys mainly live in Rwanda, northeastern D.R Congo, western Uganda as well as Burundi. It’s a forest monkey that loves dump pristine forests. They can be seen in gallery forest, on forested mountain slopes, mature lowland rainforests, as well as forest borders, nonetheless, they have been seen in cultivated areas. However, it also will live on cultivated lands. In mountainous areas they are commonly seen in mature and twisted undergrowth with broken canopy, and then in lowland forests they are seen in areas where the forest is regenerating.

Behavior of the L’Hoest’s monkey

The small groups in which they live are dominated by females and each group has only one male.

When the males mature, they live the group.

They are mainly active throughout the day especially in the morning as well as the late afternoon.

L’Hoest’s monkeys sleep up in the trees in a sitting-position, holding each other or holding the branches of the trees.

When frightened, or when they discovered that they are being watched, they flee taking shelter up in the trees where they remain very still.

Reproduction of the L’Hoest’s Monkey

The L’Hoest’s monkeys breeds seasonally, and the timing is based on the area they are in. following a gestation period of approximately 5 months, they give birth to one young. It’s typical that they give birth at night and usually at the finish of the dry season, which enables lactation when the rains are heavy.

After giving birth, the female eats the placenta and licks clear its baby as it hangs onto to its belly. The rest of the females within the group will express so much interest towards the newborn and will make all attempts to carry it.

The newborn is nursed for a couple of months exclusively before reducing on the frequency however; breastfeeding may continue to up to 2 years unit another young one is produced.

The males leave the group once they reach sexual maturity.

The L’Hoest’s monkeys have an average lifespan of 30 years when living in captivity.

Diet of the L’Hoest’s Monkeys

While out in its natural habitat – the wild, these monkeys are mainly herbivores and mainly feed on fruits, mushrooms, leaves,  herbs and roots. But occasionally they may feed on tiny birds, eggs as well as lizards.

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