Cercopithecines

Stuart A. Altmann

Cercopithecines are primates that make up one of the two major groups of Old World monkeys. All Old World monkeys are members of a single primate family, Cercopithecidae, and so are referred to collectively as “cercopithecids.” The family consists of two distinct subfamilies, Colobinae (“colobines”) and Cercopithecinae (“cercopithecines”), which separated about 14 million years ago. About 73 species of cercopithecines are currently recognized. They range in size from dwarf guenons (females 745–820 g, males 1255–1280 g) to baboons, the largest monkeys (anubis baboon females 14.5–15.0 kg, males 22–28 kg). The cercopithecine group includes several species that are common in zoos, laboratories, and field studies, such as various species of macaques (including rhesus monkeys), baboons, drills and mandrills, guenons, and mangabeys. Currently, cercopithecines are the subjects of about two thirds of all non–in vitro research publications on nonhuman primates. The behavior, social relationships, group structure, ecology, and demography of various free-ranging ...

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