Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni), recorded as Critically Endangered
Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Niger Delta red colobus

Piliocolobus epieni

The Niger Delta red colobus is a critically endangered species of colobus monkey endemic to the western part of the Niger Delta.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Piliocolobus epieni
Taxonomy
Mammalia · Primates · Cercopithecidae · Piliocolobus

Appearance

The Niger Delta red colobus is black on top from the head to the rump, becoming orange-brown on the sides and outer legs. The undersides and inner legs, and most of the arms are white. The tail is red-brown on top and chestnut or maroon below, becoming darker towards the tip.

Range and habitat

The Niger Delta red colobus is found only in the western part of the Niger Delta. It is restricted to marsh forest, that is, forest with a high water table year round but no significant flooding. It shares this habitat with several other primate species, among them the Nigerian white-throated guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki), the red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), the putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), the mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona), and maybe also the olive colobus (Procolobus verus).

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Niger Delta red colobus is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Niger Delta red colobus, Wikidata item Q3818411. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Pennant's colobus (Piliocolobus pennantii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Pennant's colobus

Piliocolobus pennantii
Photograph of Preuss's red colobus (Piliocolobus preussi), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Preuss's red colobus

Piliocolobus preussi
Photograph of Tana River red colobus (Piliocolobus rufomitratus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Tana River red colobus

Piliocolobus rufomitratus
Photograph of Bouvier's red colobus (Piliocolobus bouvieri), recorded as EndangeredEN

Bouvier's red colobus

Piliocolobus bouvieri

Quick answers

What is Niger Delta red colobus?
Niger Delta red colobus is an Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae (order Primates) — Piliocolobus epieni.
What is the conservation status of Niger Delta red colobus?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Piliocolobus epieni. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Niger Delta red colobus live?
The Niger Delta red colobus is found only in the western part of the Niger Delta.
Why is Niger Delta red colobus in crisis?
It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Piliocolobus epieni?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Niger Delta red colobus a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.