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A Wolf's guenon with gray, orange and white fur standing on a log.
Photo: Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wolf's Guenon

Cercopithecus wolfi

A gray, red-saddled African forest monkey named after the person who discovered it, not after wolves.

🐒 Monkeys
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About the Wolf's Guenon

Wolf's guenons live in rainforests and swamp forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are gray with a reddish saddle across the back, white bellies, black arms and reddish-brown legs. They can be up to 50 inches long, and 30 inches of that is tail. Like other guenons, they stuff food into their cheek pouches and eat it later in a safe treetop spot.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Cercopithecus wolfi[1]
Size
Up to 50 inches long: about 20 inches of body and 30 inches of tail.[1]
Weight
About 6 to 9 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
About 20 years in the wild.[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Fruit, shoots, nectar and small animals.[1]
Habitat
Rainforests and swamp forests.[1]
Where it lives
The Democratic Republic of Congo.[1]
Group life
Family groups of up to 50 with one dominant male. Most active early and late in the day.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts about 170 days. Usually one baby, born lighter in color.[1]
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • Wolf's guenons are named after the person who discovered them, not after wolves.[1]
  • By drinking nectar, they help pollinate rainforest plants.[1]
  • A Wolf's guenon's tail is longer than its body.[1]

Vocabulary

guenon
A kind of colorful African monkey with cheek pouches (say "GWEN-on").
pollinate
To carry pollen from flower to flower so plants can make seeds.
nectar
A sweet liquid made by flowers.
saddle
A patch of different color across an animal's back.
near threatened
A conservation label meaning a species may become threatened soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Wolf's Guenon.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/wolfs-guenon/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Cercopithecus wolfi (Wolf's Monkey).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/92466239/166601223 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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