Black and White Colobus Monkey Scientific Name: Colobus guereza Range: Central and Eastern Africa Habitat: Rainforests Natural Diet: Fruit, leaves, flowers, and twigs Zoo Diet: Commercial primate biscuit, vegetables, and bananas Physical  Characteristics: Colobus monkeys are black with white fur bordering their face and trailing down their back and rump.  Their tails have a bushy white tip.  They are 20-22 inches in length, and their tails are an additional 21-33 inches long.  They weigh 18-30 pounds. Behavior: Colobus monkeys have unusually long fingers which help them swing through the trees, looking for food.  Each male leads a small troop of 4-5 females and young.  He defends his territory with roars and tremendous leaps. Reproduction: The gestation period is about six months.  Females give birth to an average of one young every 20 months. Notes:   Colobus monkeys have specialized stomachs that help them digest plant cellulose.  To get rid of the methane and carbon dioxide produced as a byproduct of digestion, they often belch in each other’s face as a friendly social gesture.  Their digestive systems enable them to get more nutrition from plants than other monkeys.