Here are the 13 Primate Species that can you can see in Kibale Forest
Here are the 13 Primate Species found in Kibale Forest – the Premier Primate Destination
The 13 Primate Species Found in Kibale Forest: Kibale Forest National Park is located in southwestern Uganda, and it is known for its high concentration of primates, including several species of monkeys and apes.
Kibale Forest National Park is the premier primate park in East Africa, home to the region’s largest concentration of primates.
The park covers an area of about 795 square kilometers and is located in western Uganda, near the town of Fort Portal.
The 13 Primate Species found in Kibale Forest include the endangered chimpanzee, estimated to number more than 1,500 in the park.
Other primates in the park include the red colobus monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, and L’Hoest’s Monkey, among others.
Seeing the 13 Primate Species found in Kibale Forest.
Visitors can go on guided tours to see these primates in their natural Kibale Forest National Park habitat. Several tour operators and lodges in the area offer guided primate tracking tours, which are led by experienced rangers familiar with the forest and the behavior of the primates.
Chimpanzee tracking is the most popular activity in the park, and visitors can go on guided walks to track and observe the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. The walks usually take 2-4 hours, and visitors can stay with the chimpanzees for up to 1 hour.
In addition to chimpanzee tracking, visitors can also go on guided walks to see other primates, such as the red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, and vervet monkeys. These walks usually take 2-3 hours, and visitors are accompanied by experienced guides who can provide information about the behavior and ecology of the primates.
Kibale Forest National Park is a unique and vital conservation area known for its affluent primate population and diverse wildlife. It is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in primates and nature conservation in East Africa.
The 13 Primate Species found in Kibale Forest
1. Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) – The closest living relatives to humans, with 98.8% of our DNA in common. There are about 5,000 of them in Uganda.
One thousand five hundred are in Kibale Forest National Park, a primate-rich national park with 13 primate species.
The park has the distinction of having the highest density of primates in Africa, including 1,500 Chimpanzees.
Seeing the Chimpanzees on a trek in Kibale Forest is almost inevitable. The Chimpanzee trek takes much less effort than a mountain gorilla trek, and you spend one hour with a chimpanzee troop and see five to six other species of primates. Read where to trek Chimpanzees in Uganda.
2. Black and White Colobus Monkeys
The Black and White Colobus, colobus guereza, is probably the most widespread forest in Uganda, occurring in the most sizeable forests, even in well-developed riparian woodland.
With its black body, white face, whitetail, and white sides living in small groups, this beautiful Monkey can be found in most rests, including Entebbe Botanical Gardens.
Several sub-species are found in Uganda, such as the Rwenzori Black and White Colobus Monkey.
Black and White Colobus will be found in most National Parks in Uganda and outside parks. You will find the Rwenzori species alongside the black and white colobus in the Rwenzori Mountains and the foothills.
3. Blue Monkeys
The Blue Monkey, also called the Cercopithecus mitis, belongs to the Old World monkey ancestry, thrives, and is widespread in East and Central Africa.
They are Dark-with Blue-Grey in color, with a white throat and a white patch on the chest. This Monkey belongs to the Guenon family in Uganda’s parks, except for Murchison Falls National Park and Lake Mburo National Park.
Blue Monkeys live in troops of four to twelve animals. There are 20 kinds of guenon monkeys, three found in Uganda.
Like other monkeys, there are no Blue Monkey Treks except for Golden Monkey Treks in Mgahinga Gorilla Park and Uganda Mangabey Monkey Treks in Mabira Forest. You come upon them while trekking other wildlife or primates.
4. Grey-Cheeked Mangabey Monkeys
Grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) are medium-sized Old World monkeys found in the forests of Central Africa. They are characterized by their long tails, thick fur, and distinctive white cheek patches.
Grey-cheeked mangabeys are social animals and live in groups of up to 30 individuals. A dominant male leads the groups, and the females care for the young.
Grey-cheeked mangabeys are frugivores whose diet consists mainly of fruits, leaves, and insects. They are also known to eat bark, flowers, and seeds—a unique species of primates.
5. Uganda Mangabey Monkeys:
Uganda mangabeys are rather smaller than the grey-cheeked mangabey (L. albigena). It is less sexually dimorphic and has a smaller skull. Individuals from the east of Uganda have a yellowish-brown color, while those from the west are a slightly darker greyish-brown.
The mane and breast are pale chocolate-brown and contrast more with the body color than the equivalent parts of the Johnston’s mangabey (Lophocebus Johnston).
Uganda mangabeys are found in various habitats, including forests, woodlands, and gardens. They are frugivores whose diet consists mainly of fruits, leaves, and insects. You can see them in Mabira Forest.
6. L’Hoest’s Monkeys
L’Hoest’s monkeys are also called mountain monkeys or Cercopithecus lhoesti. They are guenons commonly found in the montane forests in the Albertine Rift regions, including southwestern parts of Uganda.
They prefer residing in the montane tropical rainforests, primary and secondary forests. They usually occupy that thick underbrush in the secondary forests, which grow in places where the trees have fallen. L’Hoest’s monkeys mainly live in groups and areas with altitudes ranging from 900- to 2,500 meters.
This is a very attractive guenon and not too often seen since it loves to hide in the dense forest and is terrestrial. Its tail is always in an upright position.
In Uganda, you can find the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Kibale Forest, Maragambo Forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and the Rwenzori Mountains Foothills. In some nearby countries, they and chimpanzees meat, and chimpanzees will also hunt and eat them.
7. Vervet Monkeys
Vervet monkeys can be found all over Uganda. You might even see it while having lunch at a restaurant in a garden in Kampala. They traveled in big, and they called troops. They spend their days foraging for food and finding comfortable and safe resting spots. High up in the trees, they’re interesting to look at.
They tend to have a green tint to their fur, white eyebrows, and black faces! Due to their attractive color, they are sometimes called “green monkeys.”
Vervet monkeys can be identified by their yellow to greenish-brown coats of hair. Their bellies are white and have white fur on their brows and cheeks. Vervet monkeys are also easily recognized by their black-skinned faces, hands, and feet.
Vervet monkeys are relatively small and are on the menu for many more extensive, carnivorous (meat-eating) animals. Large cats like leopards and hyenas, eagles, and snakes are just some animals that prey on primates. In the West Indies, domestic dogs severely threaten vervets, as humans hunt the monkeys for meat or persecution. To stay safe, vervet monkeys travel in groups and head for the trees if there are signs of danger.
8. Olive Baboons
The olive baboon (Papio Anubis), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys). The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons in 25 African countries, extending from Mali eastward to Ethiopia and Uganda.
They live in savannahs, steppes, and forests. The common name is derived from its coat color, a shade of green-grey at a distance. A variety of communications, vocal and non-vocal, facilitate a complex social structure.
You will see the Olive Baboon on a safari, whether in a car or on foot on a nature walk. It is good to roll up your car windows when approaching the road since the brazen baboons have been known to jump in and steal whatever they find, mostly food items.
They usually live in large troops, their dog-like heads make them look fierce, and they love showing their menacing teeth. They are also quite large.
They can become dangerous when they need or socialize to associate humans with food. Large male baboons will defend the others in their troop, and there have been no reports of visitors being harmed by baboons.
9. Red-Tailed Monkey
The red-tailed Monkey, also known as the black-cheeked, white-nosed Monkey, red-tailed guenon, redtail monkey, or Schmidt’s guenon, is a species of primate in the family Cercopithecidae.
The red-tailed Monkey is named as it sounds for its red coloration of the tail. The tail’s underside and bi-coloration as the reddish color increases from the base to the tip. Other features are characteristic of this mammal, such as the white noise and cheeks amid black or dark grey body fur. Red-tailed monkeys also have enormous, elastic cheeks used to gather food and store it in their mouths for safety.
It is a ubiquitous monkey, and in Uganda, the red-tailed Monkey and Blue Monkeys often interbreed in Kibale Forest.
In Uganda, you can find red-tailed monkeys in Kibale Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Semiliki, and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
10. Red Colobus Monkeys
The red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) – A giant, red-and-black Monkey with a long tail. Found in Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest, and Semuliki National Park.
There is more variation amongst the coat colors of the Ugandan red colobus, with back colors ranging from dark grey to reddish-brown.
The sides of the body and the arms and legs are grey. They have long dark to light brown tails, which they rely on for balance when climbing and leaping through the canopy. The Ugandan red colobus has dark grey to black hands and feet, and their feet are very long, which helps them leap vast distances[
1. Uganda Red Colobus Monkeys:
The Uganda red colobus monkey is endemic to Uganda. It is one of Africa’s rarest and most endangered primates, with only 5,000 individuals remaining in the wild.
The Uganda red colobus monkey is characterized by its reddish-brown fur and long, white-tipped tail. They are arboreal and spend most of their time in the trees, feeding on leaves, fruits, and flowers. They are social animals and live in groups of up to 80 individuals, led by a dominant male.
The main threat to the Uganda red colobus monkey is habitat loss due to deforestation, as their forest habitat is cleared for agriculture, logging, and other human activities. They are also hunted for their meat and body parts used in traditional medicine.
Efforts are being made to conserve the Uganda red colobus monkey, including habitat protection, anti-poaching patrols, and community education programs. The Uganda Wildlife Authority, in collaboration with other organizations, also conducts research and monitoring to understand the species and its conservation needs better.
Visitors to Uganda can observe the Uganda red colobus monkey in a few protected areas, including Kibale Forest National Park, where they are one of the park’s main primate attractions.
12. Bushbabies
Galagos –ɡəˈleɪɡoʊz, also known as bushbabies, bush babies, or nagapies (meaning “little night monkeys” in Afrikaans), are small nocturnal primates native to continental Africa and make up the family Galagidae (also sometimes called Galagonidae). They are sometimes included as a subfamily within the Lorisidae or Loridae.
According to some accounts, “bushbaby” comes from either Chimal’s cries or appearance. The Afrikaans nagapie is almost exclusively seen at night, while the Ghanaian name aposor is given to them because of their firm grip on branches.
The bushbaby’s night cry is one of the distinct African sounds. As you shine your flashlight or torch into the tree where the scream is coming from, you will see the big eyes of the bushbaby.
They are found in most Ugandan parks, and you can find them on night drives and nocturnal parks in various parks such as Kibale Forest. Dwarf Galagos are also found in Kibale Forest and might be spotted on a Nocturnal Forest Walk.
13. Pottos:
Potto (Perodicticus potto) is a bush bear, tree bear, or softly-softly, slow-moving tropical African primate. The potto is a nocturnal tree dweller found in rainforests from Sierra Leone eastward to Uganda. It has a firm grip and clings tightly to branches, but when necessary, it can also move quickly through the units with a smooth gliding gait that makes it relatively inconspicuous. It feeds on fruit, small animals, and insects (especially larvae) and curls to sleep daily in tree hollows. Its length is about 35 cm (14 inches), excluding its furry 5–10 cm (2–4 inches) tail.
It has large eyes, sturdy limbs, stub-like second fingers and toes, annual fur, and grizzled reddish. A ridge of short, blunt spines formed by the neck vertebrae runs down the nape. The spines are covered by thin, highly innervated skin and are thought to be sensitive to potential predators’ movements when the potto tucks its head between its arms in a defensive posture. Gestation is six months; single young are typical. The medium-sized sloth-like creature can be found on nocturnal walks in Kibale Forest. It can also be found at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Queen Elizabeth Park.
The Primates are found in Kibale Forest-the Premier Primate Park in East Africa.
As you can see, Kibale Forest National Park is home to many primate species, making it a premier primate park in East Africa. Visitors to the park have the opportunity to observe and learn about over 13 primate species, including the endangered chimpanzee, red colobus monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboon, and L’Hoest’s Monkey, among others.
The park’s affluent primate population is a testament to its importance as a conservation area, and its ecological significance extends beyond the primate species. Kibale Forest National Park is a unique and vital ecosystem that provides a habitat for many species of wildlife and is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in primates and nature conservation in East Africa.
The 13 Primate Species Found in Kibale Forest are the primates in Kibale Forest National Park. They are best seen while chimpanzee trekking, hiking, or taking the nocturnal forest walk.
