Mammals
Blue Monkey
Cercopithecus mitis · also called Sykes's monkey, diademed monkey
Foraging in the canopy of an East African forest, a blue monkey stuffs fruit into its cheek pouches, its blue-grey coat dappled by sunlight as the rest of its troop follows.
Overview
The blue monkey, Cercopithecus mitis, is a Least Concern guenon of Central and East African forests. Its blue-grey coat, one-male troops, and fruit-eating habits make it one of the best-known forest monkeys of Africa.
A forest monkey with many forms
Because the blue monkey ranges across so many forests, it has diverged into many distinct forms, including the Sykes’s monkey of East Africa.
Status
Least Concern, widespread but declining in places.
Blue Monkey: common questions
Why is it called the blue monkey?
It has a blue-grey coat, though the colour varies across its range.
How are blue monkey troops organised?
They live in troops of females and young led by a single adult male.
What is a Sykes's monkey?
It is a form of blue monkey found in East Africa.
Where is the blue monkey found?
It lives in forest across Central and East Africa.