Sierra Leone 2011 - Endangered Primates: Mountain Gorilla - Uncirculated Cupro Nickel

There are many different species of Primates in the world, including apes, monkeys and humans!  Many primate species are now in danger of extinction, primarily caused by deforestation and hunting.  Many of these primates remain a constant fascination to people across the world.

Each coin in this series of six shows a different species and the complete set spans three years.

• The Capuchin Monkey (2009) – named after an order of Friars because of their appearance, these small monkeys only reach a height of 22 inches with tails that are just as long.
• The Diana Monkey (2009) – generally black or dark grey, this primate has a crescent shaped browband which gave it its name, since it was believed to resemble the bow of the goddess Diana.
• The Orangutan (2010) – this reddish-brown primate is among the most intelligent of the species.  The name comes from the Malay words ‘orang’ (man) and ‘(h)utan’ (forest) translating as ‘man of the forest’.  The largest males have an arm span of about 2 metres.
• The Chimpanzee (2010) – the Chimpanzee is the closest living relative to humans.  They are extremely intelligent and make tools to help them acquire food.
• The Agile Gibbon (2011) – this Gibbon, like all gibbons, is tailless.  They predominantly live in rain forests and very rarely venture to the ground.  Their long arms mean they can swing from branch to branch very quickly.
• The Mountain Gorilla (2011) – this gorilla is highly social and lives in groups held together by long-term bonds between the males and females.  Groups can vary from five to thirty with the dominant silverback as the leader.