colobus

American  

[kol-uh-buhs, kuh-loh-] / ˈkɒl ə bəs, kəˈloʊ- /

noun

plural

colobuses, colobi

1. any of several large, slender African monkeys of the genus Colobus, lacking thumbs and having long silky fur of black and white (C. polykomos ), black and reddish-brown (C. badius ), or olive (C. verus ): now dwindling.

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colobus British  

/ ˈkɒləbəs /

noun

1. any leaf-eating arboreal Old World monkey of the genus Colobus, of W and central Africa, having a slender body, long silky fur, long tail, and reduced or absent thumbs

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Etymology

Origin of colobus

1811; < New Latin, the genus name < Greek kolobós docked, maimed; so named from the mutilated appearance of the thumbless hands

Example Sentences

The two papers call for scientific communities, governments and funding agencies to support red colobus conservation efforts and step up financial backing of research field stations.

From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024

Black and white colobus monkeys also fed on the guano 65 times, and red duiker antelopes licked it 682 times.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 22, 2024

The struggle becomes even more evident when we look at endangered species like the Tana River red colobus.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023

From Londorosi, we climbed for about 2½ hours through dense jungle, serenaded by large, black-and-white colobus monkeys that roamed the canopy above.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2022

These were colobus monkeys, and sometimes one would come down from a tree and scuttle across the meadow near the tent, watching them with alert, intelligent eyes.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston