colobus

Everyday

1. A slender African monkey with long silky fur, a long tail and only a stump instead of a thumb; the best-known kind is black and white. tree →
2. The group of these monkeys, which live high in forest trees and eat mostly leaves. tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography lessons on rainforests and animal adaptations, the colobus shows how animals fit their habitat: it has a special stomach with many parts to digest tough leaves, and it leaps between branches without needing a thumb. Phrases: «black-and-white colobus», «red colobus», «colobus monkey».

Examples

• The colobus leapt from tree to tree high above us. tree →
• A black-and-white colobus has a long, white, bushy tail. tree →
• Colobus monkeys eat leaves, not bananas. tree →
• The word «colobus» comes from a Greek word meaning «cut short», because of its missing thumb. tree →
• We saw colobus monkeys at the zoo in their tall tree house. tree →
• Cutting down forests puts some kinds of colobus in danger. tree →

Note

Said «KOL-uh-bus». Plural: colobuses or colobus monkeys. A trap: many people think all monkeys need thumbs to climb, but the colobus manages with just hooked fingers.