Monkey Species in Uganda

Monkey Species in Uganda; Uganda as a famous tourist destination is best known for the awesome primate safaris conducted from the tropical rain forests found within the country. It is known in the whole world that the evolution of primates started in Africa and spread to the whole world. When you visit Uganda for the primate safaris, you will find this very true basing on the number of primates species found in the tropical forests of the country.

Uganda is blessed with the highest number of primates in the whole east African community and the African continent at large. There are mainly 13 primate species recorded to be dwelling in the tropical forests of Uganda, however, the number might increase if you add the nocturnal primates found in Kibale national park and Budongo forest. Of the 13 primate species found in Uganda(), the chimpanzee marks the highlight of almost all the primate safaris to Uganda. The chimpanzees are proved to be the closest to humans because the chimpanzees share about 98% of the human DNA.

Despite the fame of the chimpanzee safaris in Uganda, there is a lot more than just them in the jungles of Uganda. Uganda is blessed with a lot more primates besides the chimpanzees such as monkeys in different species and elucidated below:

Black and white colobus monkeys are locally commonly known as ekiremu or engeye. They are common in most of the tropical forests of Uganda such as kibale national park, Budongo, mabira and other areas within the country. The black and white colobus monkeys are marked by their black bodies and whitetails. They also have no thumbs on the fingers. This deformity makes the black and white monkeys vulnerable to accidents resulting from falling off trees. Therefore they are easily found in the lower tree branches and shrubs. You have a full opportunity to see a wide range of black and white colobus monkeys during nature walks in kibale forest national park.
Red colobus monkeys are among the Monkey Species in Uganda are commonly found in kibale forest national park. The red tailed monkeys are renowned fighters to protect their territories from being intruded by predators. The red tailed monkeys are relatively small in size. Male weighs about 13 kilograms and the female up to 9 kilograms. Despite their small size, they are defending themselves with a lot of mightiness and that’s how they survive in the jungle.
Uganda red tailed monkeys and blue monkeys are slightly different in appearance compared to other Monkey Species in Uganda. They are locally called the enkunga by the local people of kibale. They are the smallest monkeys found in kibale forest national park. The Ugandan red tailed monkeys are marked by their heart-like noses and the white hairy cheeks. For the blue monkeys, they are not necessarily blue in color but they got blue backs. They can be found in Kyambura gorge of Queen Elizabeth national park, kibale national park and Bwindi Impenetrable national park among other tropical forests in Uganda.
Grey-cheeked mangabey is another species of monkeys in kibale national park. The grey-cheeked mangabeys are easily seen in the Bigodi wetland sanctuary in Kibale national park and Semliki wildlife reserve. These monkeys are named based on their physical features; they have cheek pouches which help them to eat enough food. The grey-cheeked mangabeys shake their heads as to create a slapping sound from the lips, and this is how they communicate.
Golden monkey is another unique monkey species in Uganda. The golden monkeys in Uganda are found in Mgahinga national park only. They are adaptable to the highland areas and love to play in the bamboo forest of mgahinga national park. They are swift movers compared to the chimpanzees; therefore, you need to walk fast enough if at all you are to track the golden monkeys in mgahinga national park. The golden monkeys in mgahinga national park live in harmony with the mountain gorillas. Therefore, your golden monkey tracking permit can be a jackpot for you to see the mountain gorillas at a cheaper price.
L’hoest monkeys are another monkey species found in kibale national park. kibale national park is like a safe haven for the l’hoests monkeys in east Africa. It’s a home for the largest l’hoests monkey population. The l’hoest monkeys are very shy terrestrial primates who are greatly endangered and recorded among the vulnerable list of animals by IUCN. You can also find the l’hoest monkeys in Bwindi impenetrable national park.
Patas monkeys live in relatively big groups called troops and they consist of about 30-50 members. They are common species in the forests of Uganda such as kibale forest. You can also see a lot of patas monkeys in murchison falls national park and mabira forest among others.
Other primates found in Uganda include the baboons; they are the most common primates in uganda and very bold primates, the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas are the most sought after primates in Uganda; they can be found in kibale national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park. Also, there are primates that are not easily seen during the day but roam the forests at night, they are called the nocturnal primates such as the galagos, pottos and the bush babies. You can see the bush babies during the night nature walks in Kibale national park and Budongo forest.

Despite the versatility of the monkeys in the tropical forests of Uganda like kibale forest national park, mountain gorillas are the most visited primates in Uganda; found in Bwindi impenetrable national park. The chimpanzees are second visited primates after the mountain gorillas. Uganda is the only country in Africa with a large population of chimpanzees found in kibale national park. However, during chimpanzee trekking, you get a chance to spot almost all the other monkey species in Uganda.