Primates in Kakamega Forests

Kakamega Forest is found in the  western region of Kenya. It occupies the area along the northeastern edge of the Lake Victoria basin  and in its  eastern edge, it extends to the partially forested Nandi Escarpment, which runs along the western edge of the Rift Valley. The forest in question has got two separate management schemes of which are, The northern part of the  forest(the National Reserve) which is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service while the southern section (known as the forest reserve) is run by the Forestry Department.

 This forest hosts various creatures including birds, mammals,  butterflies and indigenous trees of vast species. Mammals has got inexhaustible species but the most interesting ones in the session are the primates. In this beautiful forest, the primate species includes; black and white colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys, the de Brazza's monkey, the Giant Forest squirrels and small antelopes. The black and red white colobus and the red-tailed and blue monkey species can easily be seen . In fact, colobus are so important since they disperse seeds through their sloppy eating habits as well as through their digestive systems. they are also still very important in a sense that they are prey to the forest predators such as  the leopards and the large eagles. The colobus live in troops of about 5 to 10 members. Each troops consists of a dominant male ,several females and their young  ones. some of the fun facts about the colobus are; the baby colobus are born completely white,  they have ruminant-like digestive systems which has enable them to occupy niches that are inaccessible to other primates, there are documented cases of "allo" mothering whereby members of the troop other than the infant's biological mother care for it.

The red-tailed and blue monkeys. The red-tailed monkey are also known as  the black -cheeked white-nosed monkey and  the red-tailed guenon. they are named for their red fur on their tails. some of the fun facst about these categories are; they have large cheek pouches that    can store almost as much as food as their stomach, and, they are named for their red fur of their tails. The consume leaves and large amount of seeds and flowers. they also eat fruits but avoids sweet ripe fruits because the sugar disrupts the delicate balance of their complex stomach. They also have unique facial patters that helps them recognize each other in  large groups.  The blue monkey are not blue in  outwards appearance as the name suggests. they are called blue because of the the hairless face which seems to be colored blue. The blue monkey females behaves aggressively towards other groups of monkey. they are also combative to other species, except for red-tailed and red colobus monkey . The face of the blue monkey is almost naked and usually dark in color and has well developed. Like the other primate species, they communicate through vocalizations, body posture, and facial expressions.

Read also; How monkeys show intelligence.

De Brazza's Monkeys are known for the orange and white fur on their faces. They live in small groups of up to 10 individuals with a dominant breeding male , adult female and their offspring. De Brazza's group feed on fruits and seeds from trees, and occasionally other plant parts and small animals. They are highly intelligent and are sort after  as exotic pets. They are also widely known for their distinctive white beards.   

The Giant Forest squirrels belong to the species of rodents. its natural habitat are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations.

Kakamega Forest has got many other interesting species of both plants and animals, and sites like the crying stone, more than 300 species of birds ... follow my blog for more.

Read more; How Animals show their Affections. 

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