Monkey of the Day · Saturday, September 12, 2026

Zanzibar Red Colobus

Piliocolobus kirkii

Zanzibar Red Colobus
Image: Wikimedia Commons

Habitat

Coastal and mangrove forests of Zanzibar

Diet

Leaves, unripe fruit, flowers, bark

Size

45–70 cm

Weight

5–12 kg

Lifespan

Up to 20 years

Did you know?

They eat charcoal from human cooking fires to neutralize the toxins in the cashew and Indian almond leaves they love — one of the only known cases of self-medication with charcoal in wild animals.