Schmidt's Guenon

Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti

A colorful African monkey with a white nose and a chestnut-red tail, also called the red-tailed monkey, that stuffs its cheek pouches with food.

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About the Schmidt's Guenon

Schmidt's guenons live in rainforests, forests, swamps and woodlands, usually near rivers, in eastern central Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Angola. They eat fruit and shoots, plus small animals like insects, lizards, frogs and eggs. Their cheek pouches can hold almost as much food as their stomachs, so they can grab food fast and eat it later somewhere safe.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti^[1]
Size: 12 to 24 inches long, plus a 21 to 35 inch tail.^[1]
Weight: Males about 7 to 10 pounds. Females 7 to 8 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: About 20 years in the wild.^[1]
Diet: Omnivore. Fruit, shoots and small animals.^[1]
Habitat: Rainforests, forests, swamps and woodlands, usually near rivers.^[1]
Where it lives: Eastern central Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Angola.^[1]
Group life: Family groups of up to 50 with one dominant male.^[1]
Babies: Pregnancy lasts about 135 to 200 days. Usually one baby.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, red-tailed monkey, assessed 2018).^[2]

Fun facts

A guenon's cheek pouches hold almost as much food as its stomach.^[1]
Different kinds of guenons can understand each other's alarm calls.^[1]
Guenons make more than 20 different calls, including chirps and loud sneezes.^[1]

Vocabulary

guenon: A kind of colorful African monkey with cheek pouches (say "GWEN-on").
cheek pouch: A stretchy pocket inside the cheek used to carry food.
alarm call: A sound an animal makes to warn others of danger.
omnivore: An animal that eats both plants and other animals.
subspecies: A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.

See it in person

Zoo AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia · All AnimalsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
Oakland ZooOakland, California · African SavannaSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Zoo Atlanta. “Schmidt's Guenon.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/schmidts-guenon/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Cercopithecus ascanius (Red-tailed Monkey).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4212/17947340 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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