Putty-Nosed Monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans)
Family: "Old World" Monkey Family (Cercopithecidae)
IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Named for the distinctive white blotch over its nose, the Putty-Nosed Monkey is a small species of guenon (a diverse group of monkeys native to Sub-Saharan Africa) found across western Africa from Ghana to as far south as the DOC. Each species of guenon exhibits unique facial markings, and as there are many regions in which multiple guenon species coexist (with at least 5 other guenons occurring within the Putty-Nosed Monkey's range) it has been suggested that these distinctive facial features may serve to aid guenons in distinguishing members of their own species from those of related species. Typically found in humid forests habitats and particularly associated with forest edges, Putty-Nosed Monkeys feed on fruit, flowers, seeds and smaller animals and live in relatively small groups consisting of a single adult male, a group of adult females and their young offspring. When active members of this species are highly vocal, and studies examining their vocalisations have not only suggested that they string together multiple shorter calls to convey information through longer, more complex "sentences", but have also suggested that all guenon species seem to understand the meaning of one anothers' calls, implying the existence of a sort of "universal guenon language."
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Image Source: A Putty-Nosed Monkey pictured near the Ogooué river in western Gabon, taken by iNaturalist user david_taylor.
