Going Ape

Thanks laophil.

let me complete the UN monkeys with the 2021 issue which included the golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) and the ringtailed lemur (Lemur catta)

Many thanks, Cobie, for adding to the CITES stamps list.

King colobus (Colobus polykomos), also known as the western black-and-white colobus, designed and engraved by Jacques Combet, and issued by Ivory Coast on September 14, 1963 to publicize the Reserve de Bouna.

I just added to my collection a color proof assay of this stamp.

Patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) live only in Africa. The species has a wide distribution across sub Saharan Africa from the western tip of Senegal to East Africa. They live mainly in savanna and woodland habitats since they are predominantly terrestrial. Patas monkeys are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since there is a continuing decline in their population.

Patas Monkey ((Erythrocebus patas), issued by Ghana on October 24, 2016.

The Olive Baboon

The olive baboon (Papio anubis), also called the Anubis baboon, is a member of the family Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys). The species is the most wide-ranging of all baboons, being found in 25 countries throughout Africa, extending from Mali eastward to Ethiopia and Tanzania. Isolated populations are also present in some mountainous regions of the Sahara. It inhabits savannahs, steppes, and forests. The common name is derived from its coat colour, which is a shade of green-grey at a distance. A variety of communications, vocal and non-vocal, facilitate a complex social structure.

Several African countries issued stamps show the Olive Baboon. Here is a small selection from Dahomey (Benin), 1969, Uganda 1989, Liberia, 1997, Rwanda, 1978, Guinea, 2001, Togo, 2010.

Thanks for the new additions Laophil. Here are some more patas monkeys:



The two animals on the left. to the right of the stamps, are interesting because they seem to have "black eyes". It has been suggested these animals (more can often be seen in sets of patas pix) may be a new subspecies or even a species.

Very attractive stamps and sheet of the Patas monkey. Thanks Cobie you shared them.

Here is one of the famous set of monkey stamps, issued by Rwanda on March 20, 1978. The stamps were designed by the Belgian artist Mark Fernand Severin.

- Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
- Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
- Mantled guereza / black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza)
- Lesser bushbaby (galago) (Galago senegalensis)
- Mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona)
- Potto (Perodicticus potto)
- Grivet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops)
- Olive baboon (Papio anubis)




I have the color progressive assays of these stamps, 6 different assays for each stamp.

Thanks Laophil!

Now for a bit of a change of species:



Western red colobus, one of a much discussed family as to how many species/subspecies there are. A leaf eater, it has a complex stomach giving it a big belly to digest rather indigestible food (gorillas have enormous stomachs too but theirs is because of an enlarged large intestine where bacteria break down their leafy food).

The word colobus comes from the Greek, meaning "mutilated" and refers to their very short thumbs - this makes their hand more like hooks to grab branches for fast release. Even so, chimpanzees are capable of catching them by organized hunts with several cooperating animals.

Many thanks, Cobie! I still don't have this species of monkey on stamps.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Pan-African Postal Union (PAPU), Uganda issued on January 18, 2011 a set of twenty!!! stamps depicting the mountain gorilla. Here are 8 of them.




Here is the complete set of 20 stamps.

Hello Laophil: Thanks for the gorillas, they are a beautiful set, aren't they?

Here's some red colobus to look out for:

1992 from Guinea Bissau, and 2016, Temminck's red colobus, from the Gambia:

Many thanks, Cobie! most WWF stamps are very attractive with great designs.

The lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) is a small arboreal ape native to the forests of Southeast Asia. It is known for its long arms, which it uses to move gracefully through the trees by brachiation, and for its loud, melodious calls used to communicate and defend territory.

Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar), issued by Malaysia on December 2, 1996.

This stamp issued in a very spectacular sheet with other Malay animals publicizing the Stamp Week. The sheet contains stamp of other primate, the Slow Loris (nycticebus coucang).

Cover sent from Perak, Malaysia to the USA franked with the Gibbon stamp in the front and the complete sheet on the back.

Thanks Laophil. There is another primate in that Malaysia issue, the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang, the 20seng stamp. I also have that MS CTO, and stamped on back with the PO logo, "Biro Filateli, Not for Sale". No idea what that means ... I did buy them

Here's a nice set from Sierra Leone, 2017. SL does issue some nice primate stamps, a fair few with red colobus, and also L'hoest monkey.



MS of 4, "Primates"
Le 9800 each
Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana)
Olive baboon (Papio anubis)
Western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus)
Western red colobus (Piliocolobus badius)

MS, SS, "Primates"
Le 40000
Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)
In surround: Guinea baboon (P. papio); Lesser bushbaby (Galago senegalensis); Lesser spot-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista)

Many thanks, Cobie, for sharing these attractive and well designed SL stamps.

The Chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) is the largest species of baboon and is native to southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. It is well adapted to a wide range of habitats, from savannas and woodlands to rocky hills and coastal areas. Highly social, it lives in troops with complex hierarchies and feeds on a varied diet of fruits, seeds, insects, and small animals. Intelligent and adaptable, the chacma baboon often lives close to human settlements and is known for its resourcefulness.

Here is a group of stamps depicting the Chacma baboon from countries where this baboon is native: Swaziland, 1969, Bophuthatswana, 1977, South West Africa SWA, 1980, Botswana, 2001 and 2002.





Chacma baboon baby on a postcard I received from my daughter while visiting South Africa.

Thanks Laophil. Here's some more red colobus:



WWF stamps, and as usual, good depictions.


Somalia, 1994:
Western red colobus (Procolobus
badius)
Diana monkey (Cercopithecus diana)
Gelada baboon (Theropithecus gelada)
Guereza (Colobus guereza)




This is one of a series of "shaped" MSs; two more show red colobus monkeys while others have chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys - those are for another occasion.

Many thanks Cobie, I like those Africa map shaped sheets.

Monkeys, issued by the Gambia on May 13, 1991.
- Green Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)
- Red Colobus Monkey (Piliocolobus badius)
- Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus patas)
- Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
- Olive Baboon (Papio anubis)

Thanks Laophil. Time for some more apes? Here's the latest from the Central African Republic: