They are about the fattest Patas(it nearly rhymes...) I've seen. I looked in a couple of Monkey books and there's some debate as to whether there are any real subspecies in Patas monkeys. 'Nisnas' which is often used as a subspecific name may not describe a seperate subspecies. The colour of face can vary with region, age and condition apparently. I can see where you're coming from though as the front one is a plain foxy- ginger colour and the rear one has more peppery grey in the coat.
Patas at Begelly Just had a look at the photos I took last week , none particularly good , but I could not see any obvious difference in colour between them . Thay are certainly fat and have lost the end of their tails , perhaps due to exposure to the cold . They remind me of the pair that lived in very basic cages in Brynmill Park , Swansea when I was a kid , there was also a male hamadryas baboon who used to 'waltz' and some rhesus macaques . The Begelly owner did not know much about the history of the patas but he thought they were probably aged mid to late teens .
the front one doesn't seem to have the grey flecking in the coat. I've noticed this same colour difference in individuals in Colchester's larger group but it doesn't appear to mean anything. Patas aren't very popular anymore, are they? They always look rather thoughtful to me....
