Primate species in Kibale National Park
Covering an area of 766 square kilometers, Kibale national park is an important famous habitat for a large population of primates located in the western region of Uganda. Beautiful tree species mostly moist evergreen forest dominates this area, hence it is ideal for the primates.
Although kibale national park is well-known for having the highest chimpanzee population in Uganda, your trip in the park will reveal other primate species as well.
The most known primate in the park, kibale national park boasts the highest population of chimpanzees in Uganda recorded to be roughly 1450 chimpanzees. Most visitors to the park visit the forests in search of a specific view of these lovely primates engaged on forest tree playfulness and fruit picking. With dark fur coat all over their body save face, fingers, palms of hands and feet soles, chimps are tailless primates. Depending on the age of the chimpanzee, the skin tone of its face, hands, and feet ranges from pink to rather dark. Young chimps have light color shade while older chimps have darker color shade. With their larger fingers, small thumbs, flat fingernails and huge toe, which enable them to easily grab on trees, the chimpanzees’ arms seem to be more than their legs in appearance. They may reach below the knees.
With adult males ranging between 40 and 60 kg and females weighing between 27 and 50 kg, chimps are somewhat large primordial animals. In the family environment of chimpanzees, a male chimpanzee is regarded as an adult at the age of sixteen years and a female chimpanzee reaches reproduction stage at the age of thirteen years and delivers a single helpless baby chimpanzee, weaned for up to five years. A chimpanzee’s lifespan gives birth to several off springs; only two off springs often survive. Life expectancy for a chimpanzee in a free natural state is 50 years; in a captive condition it is 60.
Both black and white colobus monkeys
Native Africans, black and white colobus monkeys are close cousins of red colobus monkeys and belong to the Colobus monkey family since they do miss a thumb finger. Adopted to locations rich in thick forested areas and luscious fruits, black and white colobus monkeys find ideal habitat in kibale forests within kibale national park. Appearing black and white, black and white have long white fur on the back and tail, white fur patches on the face. While black and white colobus monkeys have varied fur coat colors, the newborns are usually white and change with age. The lady Black and white colobus monkeys conceive, but the male deliberately wants to give the female time to seek for food for the little ones. This is their obligation.
Black and white colobus monkeys have been observed to engage in three types of mounting, embracing, and physical contact greetings. Living in territorial groups of roughly nine members, these colobus monkeys include males with females and off-spring.
Red-tailed monkeys
Though shy yet quite affable, red tailed monkeys are among the most social primates found in kibale woods. Red tailed monkeys also go under black-checked white nose, red tailed guenon, red tail monkey or Schmidt’s guenon. Male and female red tailed monkeys have different body and weight ranges; male red tailed monkeys weigh between 7-10 pounds and female between 6 and 8 pounds less. Red tailed monkeys range in length from 12 to 24 inches; a male Red tailed monkey is longer than a female; these monkeys also have a lengthy tail twice their body length, about 35 inches.
Usually black, red or orange in appearance, red tailed monkeys have white nose, checks a black and dark grey body fur coat, and point downward nostrils. Usually living in groups of 7–30 people, red tailed monkeys are fond of eating small insects, fruits, leaves, twigs. They use their unusually big and elastic checks to store enough of food when gathering in the forests. Particularly in the morning, red tailed monkeys are readily seen in Kibale National Park close to the kanyanchu tourist hub.
Grey looked at mangabey.
Grey checkered mangabey, sometimes known as white checked mangabey, are readily seen on the kibale forest tree limbs. Except for necks and shoulders covered in light-colored fur, lengthy limbs and ruffled tails longer than their bodies, grey checkered mangabeys are coated in thick brown fur all over their body. These social primates, ranging in size from 10 to 40 individuals under the direction of a dominant male, are male grey checked mangabey monkeys, larger than their female counterparts. When a male grey grey reaches maturity , it leaves its original troop and joins another one well as female stay and never leave the troop.
Grey inspected manga.These monkeys are always spotted playing on tree branches and while in quest of fruits, seeds, nuts, buds, shoots, leaves and flowers, which are their diet. Bey are especially skilled jumpers gaining support from their stronger tails which enable them hook on trees.
Red colobus monkeys
Red colobus monkeys are members of the Colobus monkey family; they are gregarious creatures living in groups of 20 to 80 people, however often groups consist of 20 to 40 individuals with more females than males. Red colobus monkeys eat leaves, flowers, and unripe fruits; in the groups, adult males often live to either create their own or migrate to another. This is why you find few males in each group.
L’Hoests monkey
L’Hoests monkeys are threatened primates that enjoy living in heavily forested locations, including Kibale National Park. They may be readily found in the trees of Kibale National Park at around Kanyanchu visitor’s center. Male L’Hoests monkeys weigh 6 kg and female L’Hoests monkeys weigh roughly 3.5 kg in body length; their coat is short dark brown with a white beard. Their long hook shaped tail at the end. Observed to be active early morning and late afternoon, l’Hoests monkeys live in a rather group generally dominated by females and solitary male. Herbivorous primates, l’Hoests monkey eat fruits, mushrooms, leaves, roots, herbs, occasionally eggs, lizards and small birds.
olive baboon
Olive baboons are among the most sought-after primates in Uganda and Kibale National Park; their appearance has fur coats ranging from green to grey and from a closer range, which is the result of rings of yellow-brown and black on the hair. Olive baboons are among the largest primates with average weight of 24 kg in males and 14.7 kg in females and an average height of 70 cm in males and 60 cm in female. Their face color range is grey to black. Living in groups of 15 to 150 with few males and more females, olive baboons are sociable primates whose social ranking varies based on individual dominance. While some of the baboons create their own groups, the predominance of the female baboon in the group is hereditary and daughter have the same rank same to their moms when baboon populations grow.
Thomas Gallago
Usually observed on night forest walks in Kibale National Park, Thomas Galago, sometimes known as bushbabys, are nocturnal primates found hanging on tree limbs. Appearing bushbabys have open oval eyes, long hind legs, and long tails wrapped in a fur coat ranging from gray, brown, reddish to yellowish brown. These primates’ large oval eyes enable them to see at dark times of the night; Thomas Galago’s back legs are higher than his front legs, which helps him jump from one tree branch to another.
Pottage
Pottos, also nocturnal primates only seen in the dark hours of the night, are known for habiting rain forest canopy including Kibale National Park. Pottos have features like a short tail with a length of 3-10 cm, a vestigial index finger, a moist noise and a toilet claw on the second toe of the hind legs. Their bodies are covered in woolly fur with a color variation from grey-brown. Pottos are rather small in appearance and weigh 600 to 1600 grams.
Behavior wise Pottos usually walk slowly and deliberately by grasping on branches with at least two limbs. Moving slowly is the mechanism the Pottos employ to hide away from danger and intruders in their region.
High population of all the lovely primates can be found in Kibale National Park in Uganda; book your safari by submitting your safari enquiry at info@kibalenationalparks.com.
