Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary

black and white ruffed lemur

1. This sanctuary that opened in 1998 is located near Plettenberg Bay in South Africa.

aerial view

2. It is the world's first free roaming multi-species primate sanctuary. 

cotton-top tamarin

3. You will find all sorts of primates like gibbons, lemurs, capuchins, squirrel monkeys here. 

visitors having lunch

4. There is a suspension bridge which is the longest in Africa measuring 128m.

a hanging primate in the sanctuary

5. The sanctuary is established in a pristine natural high canopy forest which is well suited to the primates.

on safari

Ringtail Lemur And Baby

6. Some of the primates that hang around the entrance lodge have very sad stories of abuse by humans.

monkeyland bridge

7. Monkeyland has captured the hearts of visitors in its efforts to rehabilitate and free previously caged primates.

squirrel monkey

All Images from www.monkeyland.co.za

Emperor Tamarin

Saguinus imperator, also known as "Brockway Monkey" in parts of the United States is native to South America, Amazon and other nearby areas.

Photo from a2zanimals.com

1. There are two sub species - Black-chinned Emperor tamarin and Bearded emperor tamarin.
2. The most remarkable feature of these is the presence of long, white moustache so long that they reach their shoulders!
3. It is a quadruped living mainly in the tropical rainforests.
4. Its face has got resemblance with the German emperor Wilhem II, hence its name.
5. The oldest female of a group, usually of 8-10 individuals, leads it. A group has predominantly males.
6. It is grey in color with black hands, feet and a brown tail.
7. These are omnivorous. Mostly they give birth ti twins..
8. The father helps in the birth of the child, washes the baby after birth.
9. They got claws on all its fingers and toes except on the great toe which has a nail.

Mandrill

Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx)

One of the primates of the old world monkey family is the Mandrill. These are the largest of all monkeys. it is closely related to the baboon. it is found in the tropical rainforests of equatorial (western central) Africa.

Appearance

It is the most colourful monkey. it has a hairless face. It has an olive green or dark grey pelage with yellow and black bands and a white belly. They have extremely long canine teeth used for self-defense mainly.it has an elongated muzzle with distinctive characteristics such as a red stripe down the middle and protruding blue ridges on the sides. It also has red nostrils and lips, a yellow beard and white tuffs. The areas around the genitals and the anus are multi-colored, being colored red, pink, blue, scarlet, and purple.The coloration of the animal is more pronounced in dominant adult males.The mandrill has one of the greatest sexual dimorphisms among the primates.

Food

It is an omnivore. It prefers fruits but also eats leaves, stem, bark,etc. It also consumes mushrooms and soil.

Other Facts

• Mandrills live in troops, which are headed by a dominant male and include a dozen or more females and young. They also gather in multi-male/multi-female groups that can include some 200 individuals.Mandrills are sociable animals and inhabit areas of forest in large groups known as a troop.The mandrill troop primarily includes female mandrills and their young who are led by a single dominant male mandrill.
• Its lifespan is about 25 years.
• Due to their large size, mandrills have few predators in their natural environment. The leopard is the main predator of the mandrill.
•  Mandrillus sphinx is a threatened species.