Zanzibar red colobus monkey, also known as the Zan Island red colobus monkey, is a genus of red colobus monkeys in the subfamily Colobus monkey family Primate monkey family. Monotypic species, no subspecies differentiation. It is found only on the island of Zanzibar (including Pemba) in Tanzania, inhabiting tropical evergreen forest environments. Diurnal, arboreal and fast-moving among the trees. The population ranges from 1,000 to 1,200 and has been listed as an endangered species by the IUCN.
The body length is 45-65 cm, the tail length is 58-77 cm, and the weight is 5.2-11.3 kg. The whole body is covered with long hairs, and the head has a long crown of white hair. The cheeks are black with white background and distinctive pink lips and nose. The surface of the head and upper body back is mainly reddish brown or dark brown, and the fur on the inner surface is white. The outside of the arms and legs is black hair, while the inside is white. The rough tail is white underneath and red or dark yellowish black on top.
The snout is prominent and the jaws are thick. Like other colobus monkeys, the gluteal warts are small. The tail is long and plays a role in balancing the body. The population generally consists of an adult male and several adult females and young monkeys, who leave the family group when they reach adulthood. Completely vegetarian, feeding on leaves, fruits, mosses and seeds, it can eat up to 2-3 kg per day. The complex structure of their stomachs has long been adapted to digesting leaves.
The genus Red Colobus monkey, a genus of the subfamily Colobus monkey, has a total of 12 species and is distributed in Africa. There is a more complex digestive system, and the stomach is sac-shaped. In order to digest crude fiber, the structure of the stomach is divided into four chambers like a herbivores, which have a rumination function. It is closely related to langurs and is 3 times larger in size than langurs. They differ from langurs in that they do not have thumbs, although the other fingers are particularly long, and the thumbs have degenerated into a small wart, hence the name colobus monkey.