At birth the infant's fur is all white, gradually changing to adult coloring by about 6 months. The infants are about 8 inches and weigh about 1 pound. The eyes are open and the infant can cling to its mother strongly enough to support its own weight. Lifespan 22.2 years. In the wild, colobus monkeys eat only leaves and buds.
Leaves are difficult to digest and have little nutritional value.
In order for colobus monkeys to survive they must eat large quantities of leaves up to half their body weight each day. They also have stomach compartments to ferment and digest the leaves, much like cows do. Predators Man often hunted for their unusual pelts.