Upper Guinea Red Colobus

The western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius), also known as the bay red colobus, rust red colobus or Upper Guinea red colobus, is a species of Old World monkey in West African forests from Senegal to Ghana. All other species of red colobuses have formerly been considered subspecies of P. badius. The monkey is a frequent prey of the common chimpanzee. In 1994, western red colobus monkeys infected many chimpanzees with Ebola virus after being hunted and consumed by the chimps. == Subspecies == According to Groves (2005) the Western red colobus has three subspecies, including the nominate: Bay red colobus, Piliocolobus badius badius Temminck's red colobus, Piliocolobus badius temminckii Miss Waldron's red colobus, Piliocolobus badius waldronae P. b. waldronae is critically endangered, possibly even extinct. The other two subspecies are endangered. Under more recent taxonomies, these are generally considered separate species. Groves concurs with this revision, although not all primatologists agree. == Description == The western red colobus grows to a head-and-body length of 450 to 670 mm (18 to 26 in) with a tail of 520 to 800 mm (20 to 31 in), and a weight of between 5 and 11 kg (11 and 24 lb). It has red…