But these also flee into trees when threatened, and sleep in trees, holding onto branches or each other. Guenons are good swimmers. The word guenon means fright in French word, reflecting the guenon s habit of grimacing and exposing its teeth when excited or angry. The ground dwelling guenons tend to have more males than females, with one dominant male, but all mating with the females. In some, the male is peripheral to the female core, moving among all-female groups.
Males are generally a little bigger and a lot heavier than females.
Guenons are territorial but not fiercely so and avoid serious fighting. When two groups meet, they engage in loud barking displays. Guenons are expressive vocally. They also use the bright markings on their faces and bodies to highlight their moods and intentions. Different species of guenons may travel together, or travel with other primates like mangabeys or colobus.