The Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is an Old World monkey native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus. These adorable monkeys live in social groups and involve their communication and alarm calls, specifically in regard to kin and group recognition, and particular predator sightings.
The Vervet monkey is of medium to large size and has a black-tipped tail which is often longer than its body. Its fur is olive or gray, lighter on the underside. Its hands and feet are black, as are its ears and face. Its face has a white band above it, framed with white cheek tufts. Its arms and legs are long, about the same length as each other, to enable the monkey to walk with ease on all fours while on the ground, and this actually makes it quite speedy when running. The males tend to be bigger than the females.
Vervet monkeys live south of the Sahara and across Eastern Africa. They are also found in western and southern Africa from Ghana to Uganda. They inhabit savanna, forests, and woodlands that tend to be near water; their favorite spot is acacia forests lining rivers and lakes.
Vervets are arboreal monkeys, spending most of their time in the trees where they feel safe. Although these monkeys do venture to the ground looking for food and water, they rarely go far from the trees, which serve as protection from predators. These animals are diurnal and spend their days foraging, and then rest at night. They are very sociable animals, forming troops of between 10 and 50. The troops are made up of adult females with their young, while males wander between different troops both to socialize and mate. Females remain in their groups throughout life. Separate dominance hierarchies are found for each sex. Male hierarchies are determined by age, tenure in the group, fighting abilities, and allies, while female hierarchies are dependent on maternal social status. A large proportion of interactions occurs between individuals that are similarly ranked and closely related. Vervet monkeys have four confirmed predators: leopards, eagles, pythons, and baboons. The sighting of each predator elicits an acoustically distinct alarm call. As infants, vervets learn to make a variety of calls from observation alone, without explicit tutelage. Vervet monkeys are thought to have up to 30 different alarm calls. In the wild, they have been seen giving a different call when seeing a human being approaching. Mothers can recognize their offspring by a scream alone.
Vervet monkeys are omnivorous and consume plant matter as well as other animals. Young shoots and leaves comprise most of their diet, as well as tree bark, fruits and flowers, and fruits from the surrounding trees. On the ground, they forage for roots, bulbs, grasses, and seeds, and sometimes supplement their diet with, eggs, rodents, insects, birds, and various small animals.
Vervet monkeys are polygynous, with females typically having few mates during their lifetime, while some males will have numerous mates. From about five years old they are able to reproduce. The mating season is between April and June. The gestation period is about five and a half months, and a single infant is born, whereupon it is cleaned by the mother. The baby clings to the mother’s stomach for about the first week. Vervet monkey babies soon develop strong social connections with other monkeys and begin to interact and play with them by as young as a month old. They suckle until nearly 4 months of age when they begin eating softer vegetation but are not weaned fully until about a year old.
