{"id":4829,"date":"2025-11-29T11:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T16:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/?p=4829"},"modified":"2025-11-29T15:44:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T20:44:14","slug":"colobinae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/colobinae\/","title":{"rendered":"Colobinae"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--StartFragment --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Colobinae are a subfamily of Old World monkeys, often called \u201cleaf monkeys,\u201d known for their specialized digestive systems and arboreal lifestyles.<\/strong> They include colobus monkeys, langurs, proboscis monkeys, and snub-nosed monkeys, distributed across Africa and Asia.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\ud83c\udf0d Definition &amp; Classification<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Subfamily<\/strong>: Colobinae (within Cercopithecidae, the Old World monkey family).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Genera<\/strong>: Includes <em>Colobus<\/em>, <em>Piliocolobus<\/em>, <em>Procolobus<\/em>, <em>Trachypithecus<\/em>, <em>Presbytis<\/em>, <em>Semnopithecus<\/em>, <em>Pygathrix<\/em>, <em>Rhinopithecus<\/em>, <em>Nasalis<\/em>, <em>Simias<\/em>, plus several extinct genera.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Species Diversity<\/strong>: About <strong>61 species in 11 genera<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temporal Range<\/strong>: Fossil record from the <strong>Late Miocene (~12.5 million years ago) to the present<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\ud83d\udd11 Characteristics<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Diet<\/strong>: Primarily folivorous (leaf-eating), but also consume fruits, flowers, and seeds depending on season.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Digestive Adaptation<\/strong>: Multi-chambered stomachs with microbial fermentation, enabling digestion of tough, fibrous plant matter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Morphology<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Arboreal quadrupeds with grasping hands and feet.<\/li>\n<li>Forward-facing eyes and relatively large brains.<\/li>\n<li>Some species (e.g., proboscis monkey) have striking facial adaptations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Size<\/strong>: Medium-sized primates, ranging from ~4.5 kg to ~15 kg.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\ud83d\udcda Anthropological &amp; Ecological Significance<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Comparative Primatology<\/strong>: Colobinae are one of two major Old World monkey subfamilies (the other is <em>Cercopithecinae<\/em>, the cheek-pouch monkeys).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Evolutionary Insight<\/strong>: Their specialized stomachs and folivorous diet highlight ecological adaptation to forest environments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation<\/strong>: Many species are threatened\u20144 critically endangered, 14 endangered, and 7 vulnerable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Behavioral Studies<\/strong>: Known for shy, slow-moving dispositions, but also complex social structures. Research has explored topics like male infanticide and group dynamics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>In short: Colobinae are leaf-eating Old World monkeys with specialized stomachs, diverse genera across Africa and Asia, and major importance for primate evolution and conservation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--EndFragment --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colobinae are a subfamily of Old World monkeys, often called \u201cleaf monkeys,\u201d known for their specialized digestive systems and arboreal lifestyles. They include colobus monkeys, langurs, proboscis monkeys, and snub-nosed monkeys, distributed across Africa and Asia. \ud83c\udf0d Definition &amp; Classification Subfamily: Colobinae (within Cercopithecidae, the Old World monkey family). Genera: Includes Colobus, Piliocolobus, Procolobus, Trachypithecus, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/colobinae\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Colobinae&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anthropology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4829"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4830,"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4829\/revisions\/4830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webref.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}