Southern Patas Monkey

About the Southern Patas Monkey

The southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki) is a critically endangered species of Old World monkey found only in Tanzania, and formerly in Kenya. It may be the most endangered primate in Africa known to still be extant, with only 100 to 200 known wild individuals.

This species was described in 1905, but later reclassified as a subspecies of the common patas monkey (E. patas). However, a 2017 review on variation and taxonomy in Erythrocebus supported reclassifying it as a distinct species based on its distinctive appearance and geographic separation from the other two species. This taxonomy was followed by the IUCN Red List and American Society of Mammalogists. Phylogenetic evidence has also affirmed E. baumstarki as being a distinct species. It is possible that due to its seemingly-relictual distribution at the fringe of the range of Erythrocebus, E. baumstarki may represent an ancient lineage of Erythrocebus that has been largely supplanted by E. patas throughout the rest of its range.

In the early 20th century, this species had a relatively small distribution in northern Tanzania and southern Kenya. Two major populations were known, separated... Wikipedia →