Angolan talapoin

This entry does not describe a mythological origin. The available sources treat the Angolan talapoin as a biological species (Miopithecus talapoin) with no documented creation myth or cosmological origin in the supplied material.

The Angolan talapoin is the smallest species of Old World monkeys. Its fur is coarsely banded yellow-and-black on the back and flanks, with the chest and belly white or greyish white. The head is round and short-snouted with a hairless face and black skin bordering the nose. Males and females show mild sexual dimorphism in body size; the scrotum of males is colored pink medially and blue laterally. Average measurements from the cited sources give a head-and-body length around 40 cm, a tail length averaging 52.5 cm, and average weights of about 1,380 g for males and 1,120 g for females.

Described behaviorally rather than supernaturally: the Angolan talapoin is diurnal and mainly arboreal, occasionally descending to the ground to forage. They are proficient swimmers and commonly sleep on branches overhanging rivers so they can dive into the water to escape danger. Socially they form large groups of 60–100 individuals composed of several mature males, many females and their offspring; groups cluster together in trees near water at night and break into smaller foraging subgroups by morning. Diet consists mainly of fruit, supplemented by seeds, young foliage, and invertebrates. The species does not show pronounced territoriality according to the sources.