African Monkeys

Spotting African monkeys can be a highlight of any safari, providing hours of fascination with their mischievous – and at times almost human-like – behaviour. This post discusses ten iconic African monkey species to keep an eye out for on your next African trip, and lists all species of monkeys in Africa.

According to the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group there are 216 species of primates living in Africa today – 111 on the mainland and 105 found only in Madagascar. These African primates range in size from the smallest known prosimian to the largest apes found anywhere in the world. Of the 216 species of primates living in Africa, 164 of these are monkeys.

Before we look at the African monkey species, let’s talk about some monkey basics:

Being Old World monkeys, African monkeys are more closely related to humans and other apes than they are to New World monkeys.

This taxonomy of primates should help you understand where African monkeys – Old World monkeys (in red) – sit in the overall primate family.

That’s the science stuff done! Now we know what an African monkey actually is, let’s look deeper at some of the iconic monkey species you might see on an African safari.

Africa’s Old World monkeys include groups such as baboon, colobus, drill, gelada, guenon, mandrill, and macaque. Most of these monkeys live in Africa’s tropical zones, though there are a handful of species that live in the rocky, Mediterranean climates of Africa’s northern and southern-most reaches.

The monkeys of Africa tend to live in large troops, sometimes numbering several hundred strong. Larger species such as baboons and mandrills spend most of their time foraging for food on the ground, while others, like vervet monkeys, are much more arboreal.

With this context in mind, let’s looks at some types of monkeys in Africa in more detail:

10 Iconic African monkeys to spot on a safari

Olive baboon

Baboons are some of the world’s largest monkeys, found across sub-Saharan Africa. They generally prefer savanna and semi-arid habitats, though are occasionally found in tropical forests. All baboons have long, dog-like muzzles, powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth, thick fur, and rough spots on their protruding buttocks.

Golden monkey

The golden monkey is critically endangered and found only in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, spread across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Travelling in troops of up to 60 monkeys, they prefer bamboo forests in higher elevations where they feed on bamboo shoots and ripe fruits.

Samango monkey

Also known as the white-throated monkey, the Samango monkey is found in forests between Ethiopia and South Africa. They live in a harem social structure with one dominant male and a group of females and their infants, surviving on a varied diet of insects, fruits, flowers, and leaves.

Zanzibar red colobus monkey

The Zanzibar red colobus is a unique species of colobus monkey endemic to several islands on the Zanzibar Archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania These medium-sized monkeys are herbivores that specialize in eating leaves, which form the bulk of their diet. To rid their bodies of toxins from their diet they consume charcoal found in logs and tree stumps – a behaviour mothers teach their offspring.

Black and white colobus monkey

Closely related to the red colobus, these stunning primates are found in Kenya’s coastal forests and high-country inland areas. They are highly arboreal monkeys that live in mixed-sex groups of up to 15 individuals. Most of their time is spent searching for food in the form of mature leaves, fruit, and flowers.

Hamlyn’s monkey

It’s highly unlikely you’ll manage to see a Hamlyn’s monkey as they are exceedingly rare, living in bamboo and primary rainforest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But it made this list as it’s such a special looking monkey – known as the owl-faced monkey due to its unique facial features.

Blue monkey

The blue monkey – also known as the diademed monkey after the pale crown of hair across its forehead – is not actually blue, but rather speckled grey. They are found across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa, preferring humid and shady areas such as evergreen and bamboo forests.

Mandrill

Mandrills are reclusive monkeys that live only in the rain forests of equatorial Africa. They are often mistaken for baboons – indeed they were once classified as baboons – and are easily identified by their bright blue and red faces and rear ends.

Vervet monkey

Vervet monkeys are adaptable animals found in both rural and urban environments across Southern and East Africa. Their natural habitat is savanna, woodlands, and mountains up to 4,000 meters. The society of this small African monkey is built on strict social hierarchies of between 10 and 50 individuals.

De Brazza’s monkey

These wise-looking monkeys with orange foreheads and white bears are endemic to the swamp forests across Central Africa, from Ethiopia to Angola. They are arboreal, preferring dense vegetation near rivers, and spend the early morning and evening foraging.

Complete African monkeys list

Here’s a complete list of all 164 species of African monkeys found on the continent today, according to IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group:

Name	Scientific Name
Adolf Friedrichs’s Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii
Agile Mangabey	Cercocebus agilis
Allen’s Swamp Monkey	Allenopithecus nigroviridis
Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis
Ashy Red Colobus	Piliocolobus tephrosceles
Bale Monkey	Chlorocebus djamdjamensis
Barbary Macaque	Macaca sylvanus
Bioko Black Colobus	Colobus satanas satanas
Bioko Drill	Mandrillus leucophaeus poensis
Bioko Preuss’s Monkey	Allochrocebus preussi insularis
Bioko Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans martini
Bioko Red-eared Monkey	Cercopithecus erythrotis  erythrotis
Black Colobus	Colobus satanas
Black Crested Mangabey	Lophocebus atterrimus
Black-cheeked Red-tailed Monkey	Cercopithecus ascanius ascanius
Black-chinned Vervet Monkey	Chlorocebus pygerythrus pygerythrus
Black-footed Crowned Monkey	Cercopithecus pogonias nigripes
Black-nosed Red-tailed Monkey	Cercopithecus ascanius atrinasus
Blue Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis
Boutourlini’s Blue Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis boutourlinii
Bouvier’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus bouvieri
Budgett’s Tantalus	Chlorocebus tantalus budgetti
Cameroon Preuss’s Monkey	Allochrocebus preussi preussi
Cameroon Red-eared Monkey	Cercopithecus erythrotis camerunensis
Campbell’s Monkey	Cercopithecus campbelli
Central Yellow Baboon	Papio cynocephalus cynocephalus
Chacma Baboon	Papio ursinus
Congo Basin Wolf’s Monkey	Cercopithecus wolfi wolfi
Cordier’s Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis cordieri
Crowned Monkey	Cercopithecus pogonias
De Brazza’s Monkey	Cercopithecus neglectus
Dent’s Monkey	Cercopithecus denti
Diana Monkey	Cercopithecus diana
Djaffa Mountains Guereza	Colobus guereza gallarum
Dodinga Hills Guereza	Colobus guereza dodingae
Drill	Mandrillus leucophaeus
Dryad Monkey	Cercopithecus dryas
Eastern Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus petaurista petaurista
Eastern Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus patas pyrrhonotus
Eastern Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans nictitans
Fire-bellied Wolf’s Monkey	Cercopithecus wolfi pyrogaster
Foa’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus foai
Gabon Black Colobus	Colobus satanas anthracinus
Gelada	Theropithecus gelada
Golden-bellied Crowned Monkey	Cercopithecus pogonias pogonias
Golden-bellied Mangabey	Cercocebus chrysogaster
Gray’s Crowned Monkey	Cercopithecus pogonias grayi
Gray-cheeked Mangabey	Lophocebus albigena
Gray-tailed Mustached Monkey	Cercopithecus cephus cephodes
Green Monkey	Chlorocebus sabaeus
Grey-footed Chacma Baboon	Papio ursinus griseipes
Grivet Monkey	Chlorocebus aethiops
Guereza	Colobus guereza
Guinea Baboon	Papio papio
Hamadryas Baboon	Papio hamadryas
Heuglin’s Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus poliophaeus
Hilgert’s Vervet Monkey	Chlorocebus pygerythrus hilgerti
Jebbel Marra Tantalus	Chlorocebus tantalus marrensis
Johnston’s Mangabey	Lophocebus albigena johnstoni
Katanga Red-tailed Monkey	Cercopithecus ascanius katangae
Kinda Baboon	Papio kindae
King Colobus	Colobus polykomos
Kipunji	Rungwecebus kipunji
Kolb’s White-collared Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis kolbi
Lang’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus langi
Lesula	Cercopithecus lomamiensis
L’Hoest’s Monkey	Allochrocebus lhoesti
Lomami Red Colobus	Piliocolobus parmentieri
Lomami River Blue Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis heymansi
Lomami River Wolf’s Monkey	Cercopithecus wolfi elegans
Lowe’s Monkey	Cercopithecus lowei
Lulindo River Red Colobus	Piliocolobus lulindicus
Mahale Mountains Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis ssp.
Mainland Drill	Mandrillus leucophaeus leucophaeus
Malbrouck Monkey	Chlorocebus cynosurus
Mandrill	Mandrillus sphinx
Mau Forest Guereza	Colobus guereza matschiei
Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus waldroni
Moloney’s White-collared Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis moloneyi
Mona Monkey	Cercopithecus mona
Mt. Kenya Guereza	Colobus guereza kikuyuensis
Mt. Kilimanjaro Guereza	Colobus caudatus
Mt. Uaraguess Guereza	Colobus guereza percivali
Mustached Monkey	Cercopithecus cephus
Namibian Chacma Baboon	Papio ursinus ruacana
Niger Delta Red Colobus	Piliocolobus epieni
Nigeria White-throated Monkey	Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki
Nigerian Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans insolitus
Northern Black Crested Mangabey	Lophocebus aterrimus aterrimus
Northern Gelada	Theropithecus gelada gelada
Northern Talapoin Monkey	Miopithecus ogouensis
Northern Yellow Baboon	Papio cynocephalus ibeanus
Olive Baboon	Papio anubis
Olive Colobus	Procolobus verus
Omo River Guereza	Colobus guereza guereza
Oustalet’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus oustaleti
Owl-faced Monkey	Cercopithecus hamlyni
Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus patas
Pemba Vervet Monkey	Chlorocebus pygerythrus nesiotes
Pennant’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus pennantii
Peters’ Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis palliatus
Pluto Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis mitis
Pousargues’s White-collared Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis albotorquatus
Powell-Cotton’s Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis cottoni
Preuss’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus preussi
Preuss’s Monkey	Allochrocebus preussi
Prigogine’s Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis prigoginei
Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans
Red-bellied Monkey	Cercopithecus erythrogaster
Red-bellied Monkey	Cercopithecus erythrogaster  erythrogaster
Red-capped Mangabey	Cercocebus torquatus
Reddish-Green Vervet Monkey	Chlorocebus pygerythrus rufoviridis
Red-eared Monkey	Cercopithecus erythrotis
Red-rumped Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans ludio
Red-tailed Monkey	Cercopithecus ascanius
Red-tailed Mustached Monkey	Cercopithecus cephus cephus
Roloway Monkey	Cercopithecus roloway
Rump-spotted Blue Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis opisthostictus
Rusty-mantled Mangabey	Lophocebus albigena osmani
Salongo Monkey	Cercopithecus salongo
Samango Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis labiatus
Sanje River Mangabey	Cercocebus sanjei
Schmidt’s Red-tailed Monkey	Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti
Sclater’s Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis angolensis
Sclater’s Monkey	Cercopithecus sclateri
Semliki Red Colobus	Piliocolobus semlikiensis
Sharpe’s Angolan Colobus	Colobus angolensis sharpei
Silver Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis doggetti
Somalia White-collared Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis zammaranoi
Sooty Mangabey	Cercocebus atys
Southern Black Crested Mangabey	Lophocebus aterrimus opdenboschi
Southern Chacma Baboon	Papio ursinus ursinus
Southern Gelada	Theropithecus gelada obscurus
Southern Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus patas baumstarki
Southern Talapoin Monkey	Miopithecus talapoin
Spot-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus petaurista
Stairs’s White-collared Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis erythrarchus
Stampfli’s Putty-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus nictitans stampflii
Stuhlmann’s Blue Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni
Sun-tailed Monkey	Allochrocebus solatus
Tana River Mangabey	Cercocebus galeritus
Tana River Red Colobus	Piliocolobus rufomitratus
Tantalus Monkey	Chlorocebus tantalus
Tantalus Monkey	Chlorocebus tantalus tantalus
Tanzania Sykes’s Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis monoides
Temminck’s Red Colobus	Piliocolobus badius temminckii
Tshuapa Red Colobus	Piliocolobus tholloni
Ugandan Crested Mangabey	Lophocebus albigena ugandae
Upper Guinea Red Colobus	Piliocolobus badius badius
Uzungwa Red Colobus	Piliocolobus gordonorum
Vervet Monkey	Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Virungas Golden Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis kandti
Western Guereza	Colobus guereza occidentalis
Western Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey	Cercopithecus petaurista buettikoferi
Western Patas Monkey	Erythrocebus patas patas
Western Red Colobus	Piliocolobus badius
White-naped Mangabey	Cercocebus lunulatus
White-nosed Mustached Monkey	Cercopithecus cephus ngottoensis
White-thighed Colobus	Colobus vellerosus
Wolf’s Monkey	Cercopithecus wolfi
Yellow Baboon	Papio cynocephalus
Yellow-nosed Red-tailed Monkey	Cercopithecus ascanius whitesidei
Zanzibar Red Colobus	Piliocolobus kirkii
Zanzibar Sykes’s Monkey	Cercopithecus mitis albogularis

And that’s our look at African monkeys done. What do you think – did any of our picks for most iconic African monkeys surprise you? Would you add any others?

Please let us know your thoughts, or any experiences you have of seeing these animals in the wild in the comments section below!