AT-A-GLANCE
African monkeys include
baboons, colobus monkeys, drills, geladas, green monkeys, grivets, guenons, kipunjis, malbroucks, mandrills,Barbary macaques, mangabeys, patas monkeys, swamp monkeys, talapoins, tantalus monkeys, and vervets
The tails of Afro-Eurasian monkeys are never prehensile. Their thumbs are opposable. Their nostrils are close together and point downward. They have 32 teeth.Many species have cheek pouches to store food for later consumption, and many have thick pads on their buttocks for comfort when sitting on hard surfaces. Afro-Eurasianmonkeys are more closely related to apes, and therefore humans,than they are to the Latin American monkeys.
Chacma baboon
Guinea Baboon
Hamadryas Baboon
Kinda Baboon
Olive Baboon
Yellow Baboon
Angolan Colobus
Black Colobus
Guereza Colobus
King Colobus
Mt. Kilimanjaro Guereza
White-Thighed Colobus
Olive Colobus
Ashy Red Colobus
Foa's Red Colobus
Niger Delta Red Colobus
Preuss's Red Colobus
Tana River Red Colobus
Tshuapa Red Colobus
Udzungwa Red Colobus
Western Red Colobus
Zanzibar Red Colobus
Gelada
Blue Monkey
Campbell's Mona Monkey
Crowned Monkey
DeBrazzas Monkey
Dent's Monkey
Diana Monkey
Dryas Monkey
Golden Monkey
Hamlyn's Monkey
Lesser Spot-Nosed Guenon
Lesula
L'Hoest's Monkey
Lowe's Monkey
Mona Monkey
Moustached Guenon
Preuss's Monkey
Putty-Nosed Monkey
Red-Bellied Monkey
Red-Eared Guenon
Red-Tailed Monkey
Roloway Monkey
Sclater's Guenon
Sun-Tailed Monkey
Wolf's Guenon
Kipunji
Barbary Macaque
Drill
Mandrill
Agile Mangabey
Black Crested Mangabey
Golden-Bellied Mangabey
Gray-cheeked mangabey
Red-Capped Mangabey
Sanje Mangabey
Sooty Mangabey
Tana River Mangabey
White-Naped Mangabey
Patas Monkey
Allen's Swamp Monkey
Angolan Talapoin
Gabon Talapoin
Bale Monkey
Green Monkey
Grivet
Malbrouck Monkey
Tantalus Monkey
Vervet
While viewing the slideshow, click on any photo for thefull species profile
ABOUT AFRICAN PRIMATES
African primates range in size from the smallest prosimians to small, medium, and large-sized monkeys—including the largest monkeys in the world—to our closest ancestors, the great apes.
The monkeys of Africa live throughout the tropical and equatorial zones.A few live in the semi-arid and rocky northern reaches of Africa. The distribution of some species spans into southern Africa.Some monkeys live in human settlements, including cities.
Among Africa’s nonhuman primate species, some live solely in trees, some primarily in trees, some along river and mangrove banks, and some live on the ground. Most are active in daytime, but some are nocturnal.
Living at varying heights, whether in trees or on the ground, and dispersing activities between day and nighttime, more evenly distributes access to resources and reduces competition. This is one of the ways that nature ensures that everyone has access to all of the gifts of the Earth.
Worldwide geographic distribution of nonhuman primates
