The major food trees of the Angola black-andwhitecolobus (Colobus angolensis palliatus)in Diani Forest, Kenya

Abstract: The Angola black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis palliatus) is a subspecies of Colobus angolensis inhabiting fragmented forests in coastal Kenya and Tanzania. C. angolensis is regarded as Least Concern in the red list of IUCN because its populations are abundant. However, the populations of C. a. palliatus are relatively isolated from each other and their habitats are constantly undergoing deforestation which makes this subspecies vulnerable to extinction. In 2001, the estimated number of Angola black-and-white colobus in Kenya was 3100 to 5000 individuals confined to the forests of the Kwale District. The Diani Forest is an unprotected forest in the district and has been highlighted as a key habitat for future Angola black-and-white colobus conservation. There are few observations on C. a. palliatus and to conserve this subspecies more information is needed.The aim of this study was to investigate which tree species that the Angola black-and-white colobus forages from in the Diani Forest. Observations were carried out on four troops during eight days between 25th of March and 2nd of April 2011. The recording method being used was instantaneous sampling with an interval of one minute. In each study session, two focal animals were observed and registrations were made on the monkey´s behaviour and position as well as utilized tree species. When the monkey was feeding, the food tree species and the food item were also recorded.In total, the Angola black-and-white colobus foraged from 42 tree species in the observed sites of the Diani Forest. The major food trees were Adansonia digitata, Adenanthera pavonina, Bougainville spectabilis, Delonix regia, Hunteria zeylanica, Lecaniodiscus fraxinifolius, Lannae welwitschii, Pithecellobium dulce, Trichilia emetica, and Zanthoxylum chalybeum. The subspecies ate a high proportion of mature leaves (35.4 %) followed by flowers (27.6 %), young leaves (21.1 %), fruits (9.5 %), unidentified leaves (4.1 %) and other food items (2.3 %).The results from this study show that the Angola black-and-white colobus is primarily folivorous since more than 50 % of its diet is composed of leaves. However, previous studies have shown that the dietary composition of Colobines varies between habitats, seasons and years and it is therefore difficult to draw any conclusions from this minor study. Future observations on the feeding ecology of Colobus angolensis palliatus should be performed on more troops of monkeys in different forest habitats during long time periods to achieve more accurate information on monkey diets and thereby better conserve the subspecies and its habitats in Diani Forest. In addition, the nutritional quality of consumed plant parts should be examined. The results of this study are based on few observations during a short time period and should therefore be interpreted cautiously.