Blue monkey

Several subspecies are recognised: • Cercopithecus mitis elgonis – Elgon blue monkey • Cercopithecus mitis heymansi – Lomami River blue monkey, found in Congo • Cercopithecus mitis kolbi – Kolb's monkey, found in Kenya • Cercopithecus mitis labiatus – Samango monkey, found in South Africa, Eswatini and southern Mozambique • Cercopithecus mitis mitis – Pluto monkey, found in Angola • Cercopithecus mitis moloneyi – Moloney's blue monkey • Cercopithecus mitis opitsthosticus • Cercopithecus mitis schoutedeni – Schouteden's blue monkey, found in Congo • Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni – Stuhlmann's blue monkey At times, some of these have been regarded as full species, and additional subspecies have been considered valid, while others are not recognized by all authorities. Blue Monkey, Lake Manyara.jpg|Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania BlueMonkey.jpg|Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania Blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni) pair.jpg|C. m. stuhlmanniKakamega Forest, Kenya Blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni) walking.jpg|C. m. stuhlmanniKakamega Forest, Kenya ==Description==

Like other mammals with the name "blue" (blue tick hound, blue wildebeest), the blue monkey often has a slaty-grey cast that can look blue to observers. It is mainly olive or grey apart from the face (which is dark with a pale or yellowish patch on the forehead – the "diadem" from which the species derives its common name), the blackish cap, feet, and front legs, and the mantle, which is brown, olive, or grey depending on the subspecies. Typical sizes range from in length, (not including the tail, which is almost as long as the rest of the animal), with females weighing a little over and males up to . ==Ecology==

Habitat The blue monkey is found in evergreen forests and montane bamboo forests, and lives largely in the forest canopy, coming to the ground infrequently. It is very dependent on humid, shady areas with plenty of water. It eats mainly fruit and leaves, but will take some slower-moving invertebrates. It prefers to live in tall trees, which provide both food and shelter, and is, therefore, like almost all guenons, suffering from the loss of its natural habitat. Where pine plantations replace natural forest, the monkey may be treated as a threat by foresters, since it sometimes strips bark from exotic trees in a search for food or moisture. It is also hunted for bushmeat and as payback for crop-raiding. Diet Blue monkeys primarily eat fruits, including figs. They also eat insects, leaves, twigs, and flowers. Rarely, they eat vertebrates, ==Behavior==

, South Africa Cercopithecus mitis joins with the C. ascanius (red-tailed monkey) for extra protection. Its interactions with red-tailed monkeys include interspecies grooming. Their social system is mainly female because the males leave once they are mature. Social relationships In these female-bonded societies, only 5–15% of monkeys' activity budget is occupied by social interactions and the most common social interactions within a group are grooming and playing. Relationships between group members vary: infants interact most frequently with their peers and adult or juvenile females C. mitis males mate with more than one female, but the females only mate with one male. The female attracts males to copulate with her through body language. They breed throughout the year. "The groups can have up to 40 members and the females usually help to care for all of the young, not just their own." ==Predation==

Blue monkeys likely fall prey to leopards. "Other potential predators include snakes and birds of prey." ==References==