When we walk in the forest and collect our data, we often hear and see monkeys. The common ones we see are the agile mangabey and the putty-nosed guenon. They are always high up in trees. They make alarm calls to let the other members of the group know that humans are nearby and to quickly move away. In my research, I am finding that the agile mangabey often visit the cocoa farms, especially when avocado trees have ripe fruit. Most of the other monkey species stay in the canopy of the trees and rarely come down to the ground.
Humans and monkeys are very similar with hands to manipulate objects, and primates have the addition of a tail which helps them live in trees. They have short fur, though the black and white colobus have shaggy long hair. Many species have brightly colored facial markings like the mustached guenon. Similar to birds, these markings help attract more mates.
It is amazing to see monkeys in the forest and I really like the different vocalizations they make. Leaping from tree to tree, they have no fear as they move high above the ground. The young are very playful and wrestle and chase each other throughout the day. They are a joy to watch and can be quite entertaining.
