| Talapoins[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Cercopithecinae |
| Tribe: | Cercopithecini |
| Genus: | Miopithecus I. Geoffroy, 1842 |
| Type species | |
| Simia talapoin Schreber, 1774 | |
| Species | |
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Talapoins (/ˈtæləpɔɪnz/) are the two species ofOld World monkeys classified in genusMiopithecus. They live in centralAfrica, with theirrange extending fromCameroon and theDemocratic Republic of the Congo toAngola.
With a typical length of 32 to 45 centimetres (1 ft 1 in to 1 ft 6 in) and a weight of approximately 1.3 kilograms or 2.9 pounds (males) and 0.8 kilograms or 1.8 pounds (females), talapoins are the smallest Old World monkeys. Their fur is grey green on top and whitish on their underside, much like thevervet monkeys. The head is round and short-snouted with a hairless face.
Talapoins arediurnal andarboreal, preferring rain forest or mangroves near water. They are usually not found in open fields, nor do they seem to be disrupted by humans. LikeAllen's swamp monkey, they can swim well and look in the water for food.
These monkeys live in groups of 60 to 100 individuals. They congregate at night in trees close to the water, dividing into smaller subgroups during the day to spread out to find food. Groups are composed of several fully mature males, numerous females and their offspring. Unlike the closely relatedguenons, they do not have any territorial behaviors. Their vocal repertoire is smaller, as well.
Talapoins areomnivores; their diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds, aquatic plants, insects, shellfish, bird eggs and small vertebrates.
Their 160-day gestation period (typically from November to March) results in the birth of a single young. Offspring are large, well developed — newborns weigh over 200 grams or 0.44 pounds or 7.1 ounces, which is about a quarter of the weight of the mother — and develop rapidly. Within six weeks, they eat solid food, and at three months of age, they are independent. The greatest recorded age of a talapoin in captivity was 28 years, while the life expectancy in the wild is not well known.
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angolan talapoin
| M. talapoin (Schreber, 1774) | Central Africa | Size: 32–45 cm (13–18 in) long, plus 36–53 cm (14–21 in) tail[2] Habitat: Forest and inland wetlands[3] Diet: Insects, leaves, seeds, fruit, water plants, grubs, eggs, and small vertebrates[2] | VU
|
| Gabon talapoin
| M. ogouensis Kingdon, 1997 | Central Africa | Size: 23–36 cm (9–14 in) long, plus 31–45 cm (12–18 in) tail[4] Habitat: Forest[5] Diet: Fruit, seeds and insects[5] | NT
|
Talapoin is a 16th-century Frenchword for a Buddhist monk, from Portuguesetalapão, fromMontala pōi "our lord"; originally jocular, from the appearance of the monkey.[6]
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