Allen's Swamp Monkey
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[Photo] Allen's Swamp Monkey, Allenopithecus nigroviridis, at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Taken with a Canon Digital Rebel and a manual-focus Nikon-mount Vivitar 135/2.8. ISO 800, 1/100s. Date August 15, 2005. Author: Grendelkhan http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Grendelkhan

Allen's Swamp Monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis) is the primate species that is categorized in its own genus Allenopithecus in the Old World monkey family. Systematically it is a sister clade to the guenons but differs in dentition and habits.

Allen's Swamp Monkey lives in the Congo basin, in the Republic of Congo and in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This monkey is a rather strongly built animal. Its skin is grey green at the top side. Its face is reddish with long hair bundles at the cheeks. The slight webbing of the fingers and toes point to its partially aquatic way of life. Allen's Swamp Monkey can reach a full body length from 45 to 60 cm, with an approximately 50 cm long tail. Males, weighing up to 6kg, are substantially larger than the females (up to 3.5 kg).

Allen's Swamp Monkey is a diurnal animal and regularly looks for food on the ground. It inhabits swampy, water-rich areas and can swim well, diving to avoid danger. It lives together in social groups of up to 40 animals, communicating with different calls, gestures and touches.

Its diet consists of fruits and leaves as well as beetles and worms.

Little is known of the mating habits of this species. The females bear young, which are weaned in approximately three months and are mature after three to five years. Its lifespan is as great as 23 years.

Raptors, snakes and the Bonobo rank among the natural enemies of Allen's Swamp Monkey. Unlike other primates, its swampy habitat is not so strongly exposed to the danger of the forests. However it is hunted for its meat. The IUCN lists the them as "near threatened".

References
Primate Specialist Group (1996). Allenopithecus nigroviridis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 153. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen's_Swamp_Monkey

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