biology

Niger Delta red colobus

Niger Delta red colobus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Niger Delta red colobus rather than just read about it. In short: The Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni) is a critically endangered species of colobus monkey endemic to the western part of the Niger Delta. It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Key takeaways

Niger Delta red colobus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Niger Delta red colobus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Niger Delta red colobus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni) is a critically endangered species of colobus monkey endemic to the western part of the Niger Delta. It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Taxonomy From the time it first became known to science (in 1993) until 2007 or 2008, it was considered a subspecies of the western red colobus (Procolobus badius) and more recently Pennant's colobus (Procolobus pennantii), and its trinomial name was Procolobus badius epieni or Procolobus pennantii epieni. Colin Groves recognized the Niger Delta red colobus as a full species in 2007, although Groves considered all the red colobus monkeys, including the Niger Delta red colobus to be in the genus Piliocolobus, rather than Procolobus (this nomenclature has been followed here). However, other authors consider Piliocolobus to be a subgenus of Procolobus.

Description The Niger Delta red colobus is black on top from the head to the rump, becoming orange-brown on the sides and outer legs. The undersides and inner legs, and most of the arms are white. The hands and feet are black. The tail is red-brown on top and chestnut or maroon below, becoming darker towards the tip. It has white whiskers.

Distribution The Niger Delta red colobus is found only in the western part of the Niger Delta. It is restricted to marsh forest, that is, forest with a high water table year round but no significant flooding. It shares this habitat with several other primate species, including the Nigerian white-throated guenon (Cercopithecus erythrogaster pococki), the red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus), the putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), the mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona), and maybe also the olive colobus (Procolobus verus).

Status When it was first discovered, the Niger Delta red colobus was locally common but under some pressure from deforestation, especially logging of Hallea ledermannii, which is an important food tree for the monkey. Since then, pressure from bushmeat hunting and logging has increased. Red colobus monkeys generally appear to be particularly sensitive to hunting and habitat disturbance, hence concerns that the species may be on the verge of extinction. The Niger Delta red colobus was still found in the Edumanom Forest Reserve in 2008. However, as of 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers it critically endangered, due to a reduction in population of more than 80% over the past 30 years largely caused by hunting and habitat loss. In 2010, the Niger Delta red colobus was included in the list of The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates, published by the IUCN and other organizations.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Niger Delta red colobus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Niger Delta red colobus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Niger Delta red colobus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Niger Delta red colobus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Niger Delta red colobus

In research: Niger Delta red colobus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Niger Delta red colobus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Niger Delta red colobus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arboreal mammals, Critically endangered fauna of Africa, Endemic fauna of Nigeria, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Niger Delta red colobus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Niger Delta red colobus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Niger Delta red colobus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Niger Delta red colobus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Niger Delta red colobus in simple terms?

The Niger Delta red colobus (Piliocolobus epieni) is a critically endangered species of colobus monkey endemic to the western part of the Niger Delta. It is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Why does Niger Delta red colobus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Niger Delta red colobus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Niger Delta red colobus.