Kipunji

Kipunji
Information
Common Name	Highland Mangabey
Range	highland forests of Tanzania.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Primates
Family	Cercopithecidae
Genus	Rungwecebus
Species	Rungwecebus kipunji
Conservation Status
Endangered

The Kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji), also known as the Highland mangabey, is a new species of Old World monkey native in the highland forests of Tanzania. The kipunji has a unique call, described as a "honk-bark", which distinguishes it from its close relatives the Grey-cheeked mangabey (Lophocebus albigena) and the Black crested mangabey (Lophocebus aterrimus), whose calls are described as "whoop-gobbles". Though it was originally thought to be a member of the Lophocebus genus genetic data later placed it as its own separate genus Rungwecebus. The kipunji is the first new monkey genus to be discovered since Allen's swamp monkey in 1923.

The kipunji was independently discovered by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Georgia and Conservation International, in December 2003 and July 2004, making it the first new African monkey species discovered since the Sun-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus solatus) in 1984. Originally assigned to the genus Lophocebus, genetic and morphological tests showed that it is more closely related to the baboons than to the other mangabeys in the genus Lophocebus, and that Lophocebus was diphyletic, meaning that species with differing genealogies have been mistakenly lumped together. Scientists have assigned it to a new genus, Rungwecebus, named after Mount Rungwe, where it is found.

Physical Description

Adult male kipunji have been observed at an average length of 85 to 90 cm and are estimated to weigh between 10 to 16 kg. The kipunji's relatively long pelage is light or medium brown with white on the end of the tail and the ventrum. Pelage close to the hands and feet tends to be a medium to dark brown. Hands, feet, and face are all black. These primates do not appear to show any sexual dimorphism in relation to pelage coloration.

One feature, in combination with their pelage coloration, that helps to separate kipuji from their Cercocebus and Lophocebus cousins is the broad crest of hair on the crown of its head.

Conservation

The kipunji is listed as a Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Recently, a Wildlife Conservation Society team found that the monkey’s range is restricted to just 6.82 square miles (17.69 square kilometers) of forest in the two isolated regions, the Ndundulu forest and the Rungwe-Livingstone forest. The Ndundulu forest is the smaller of the two and was found to support a population of 75 individuals, ranging from 15 to 25 individuals per group. The Rungwe-Livingstone forest is suspected to contain 1,042 individuals in Rungwe-Kitulo, ranging from 25 to 39 individuals per group. All areas where the kipunji are found are considered protected areas, but there are no management operations currently in effect.

Several factors contribute to the projected decline of the species, including predation, habitat destruction, and hunting. The kipunji have only two known predators: Crowned eagles and leopards. The biggest threats to the species come from human activities. Logging for timber and charcoal production are the most prominent threats, but locals are also known to hunt the kipunji due to its crop-destroying habits or simply as a food source. Continued habitat loss is anticipated to cause a loss of the Bujingijila Corridor which links two populations in the Mount Rungwe and Livingstone forests.

It is considered one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates."

Videos

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