Vervet Monkey
Encyclopedia
The vervet monkey or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey
of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa
. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus
.
have often been considered conspecific, or as subspecies
of the widespread grivet
.
There are five distinct subspecies of vervet monkey:
and a red penis
. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism
, the males are larger in weight and body length. Adult males weigh between 3.9 and 8 kg (8.6 and 17.6 lb), averaging 5.5 kilograms (12.1 lb), and have a body length between 420 and 600 mm (16.5 and 23.6 in), averaging 490 millimetres (19.3 in) from the top of the head to the base of the tail. Adult females weigh between 3.4 and 5.3 kg (7.5 and 11.7 lb) and average 4.1 kilograms (9 lb), and measure between 300 and 495 mm (11.8 and 19.5 in), averaging 426 millimetres (16.8 in).
; living in groups of up to 72. There is a clear order of dominance among individuals within the group.
by many ethologists
.
The young appear to have an innate tendency to make these alarm calls, and adult monkeys seem to give positive reinforcement when the young make the right call, by repeating the alarm. Mothers have been reported to punish young giving the wrong call.
and termites). In human inhabited environments it will eat bread and various crops; especially maize
.
A list of some natural food plants and part of the plant eaten, in South Africa:
and East Africa
, being found from Ethiopia
, Somalia
and extreme southern Sudan
, to South Africa
. It is not found west of the Great Rift Valley
or the Luangwa River
, where it is replaced by the closely related malbrouck
(C. cynosuros). The vervet monkey inhabits savanna
, riverine woodland, coastal forest and mountains up to 4000 m (13,100 ft). They are adaptable and able to persist in secondary and/or highly fragmented vegetation, including cultivated areas, and sometimes are found living in both rural and urban environments.
Introduced vervets also occur in Barbados, Saint Kitts, and Nevis. Dania Beach, Florida is also home to about 20 vervets.
Multiple organisations are involved in vervet monkey conservation.
including the Red Sea Mountains and the Nile Valley. From fresco
artworks found in Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Santorini
there is evidence that the vervet monkey was known to the inhabitants of this settlement around 2000 BC; this fact is most noted for evidence of early contact between Egypt and Akrotiri.
Old World monkey
The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea in the clade Catarrhini. The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, inhabiting a range of environments from tropical rain forest to savanna, shrubland and mountainous...
of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus
Chlorocebus
Chlorocebus is a genus of medium-sized primates from the family of Old World monkeys. There are six species currently recognized, although some classify them all as a single species with numerous subspecies...
.
Taxonomic classification
The vervet monkey was previously classified as Cercopithecus aethiops. The vervet and malbrouckMalbrouck
The malbrouck is a primate from Africa that belongs to the genus Chlorocebus. The species is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the Vervet Monkey , or of the widespread Grivet ....
have often been considered conspecific, or as subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the widespread grivet
Grivet
The grivet is an Old World monkey with long white tufts of hair along the sides of the face. Some authorities consider this and all of the members of the genus Chlorocebus to be a single species, Cercopithecus aethiops. As here defined, the grivet is restricted to Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti and...
.
There are five distinct subspecies of vervet monkey:
- Chlorocebus pygerythrus excubitor
- Chlorocebus pygerythrus hilgerti from southern KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
- Chlorocebus pygerythrus nesiotes
- Chlorocebus pygerythrus pygerythrusChlorocebus pygerythrus pygerythrusChlorocebus pygerythrus pygerythrus is the southern-most subspecies of the Vervet Monkey from South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana.C. p. pygerythrus, as Cercopithecus aethiops, was formerly divided into four subspecies:*C. a...
from South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
and SwazilandSwazilandSwaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique... - Chlorocebus pygerythrus rufoviridis from MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
has a distinctly reddish coloured back which is darker towards the base of the tail.
Physical description
The vervet monkey has a black face with a white fringe of hair, while the overall body colour is mostly grizzled-grey. The males of all species have a pale blue scrotumScrotum
In some male mammals the scrotum is a dual-chambered protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles and divided by a septum. It is an extension of the perineum, and is located between the penis and anus. In humans and some other mammals, the base of the scrotum becomes covered with curly...
and a red penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
, the males are larger in weight and body length. Adult males weigh between 3.9 and 8 kg (8.6 and 17.6 lb), averaging 5.5 kilograms (12.1 lb), and have a body length between 420 and 600 mm (16.5 and 23.6 in), averaging 490 millimetres (19.3 in) from the top of the head to the base of the tail. Adult females weigh between 3.4 and 5.3 kg (7.5 and 11.7 lb) and average 4.1 kilograms (9 lb), and measure between 300 and 495 mm (11.8 and 19.5 in), averaging 426 millimetres (16.8 in).
Behaviour
Social structure
The vervet monkey is diurnal and socialSocial
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
; living in groups of up to 72. There is a clear order of dominance among individuals within the group.
Alarm calls
The vervet monkey uses different sounds to warn of different types of predators. It has distinct calls to warn of the sighting of a leopard, a snake, or an eagle. These sounds are considered a proto-languageProto-language
A proto-language in the tree model of historical linguistics is the common ancestor of the languages that form a language family. Occasionally, the German term Ursprache is used instead.Often the proto-language is not known directly...
by many ethologists
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
.
The young appear to have an innate tendency to make these alarm calls, and adult monkeys seem to give positive reinforcement when the young make the right call, by repeating the alarm. Mothers have been reported to punish young giving the wrong call.
Diet
The vervet monkey eats a wide range of fruits, figs, leaves, seeds and flowers. It also eats birds' eggs and young chicks, and insects (grasshoppersGrasshoppers
Grasshoppers are insects of the suborder Caelifera.Grasshoppers may also refer to:* Grasshopper , a Hong Kong-based musical group* Grasshopper Club Zürich, a Swiss football club...
and termites). In human inhabited environments it will eat bread and various crops; especially maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
.
A list of some natural food plants and part of the plant eaten, in South Africa:
- Acacia eriolobaAcacia eriolobaAcacia erioloba is also commonly known as the Camel Thorn, Kameeldoring , Giraffe Thorn or Mokala . The Mokala National Park in the Northern Cape is named after this tree. The type specimen of Acacia giraffae, proved on closer examination to be a hybrid of A. haematoxylon and the species which...
- seeds and pods - Aloe sppAloeAloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....
- nectar (flowers) - Celtis africanaCeltis africanaCeltis africana is a tree in the Cannabaceae family. This is a common and widespread forest tree from South Africa to Ethiopia. It is a fast growing and popular garden tree in South Africa and is easily propagated....
- fruit - Colophospermum mopane - seeds
- Deinbollia oblongifoliaDeinbollia oblongifoliaDeinbollia oblongifolia is a shrub or small tree in the family Sapindaceae. It is commonly known as the Dune Soap-berry and is found in coastal vegetation from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, through KwaZulu-Natal to southern Mozambique and Swaziland.-Description:These plants can grow up to 9 m...
- fruit - Euphorbia ingensEuphorbia ingensEuphorbia ingens is a species of plant in the genus Euphorbia and the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to dry areas of southern Africa. It is popularly known as the "Candelabra Tree", and its milky latex can be extremely poisonous, and a dangerous irritant....
- fruit - Euphorbia tirucalliEuphorbia tirucalliEuphorbia tirucalli is a shrub that grows in semi-arid tropical climates.It has a wide distribution in Africa, being prominently present in northeastern, central...
- fruit - Ficus abutifolia - figs
- Ficus sur - figs
- Ficus sycomorusFicus sycomorusFicus sycomorus, called the sycamore fig or the fig-mulberry , sycamore, or sycomore, is a fig species that has been cultivated since ancient times...
- figs - Grewia caffra - fruit
- Harpephyllum caffrum - fruit
- Hyphaene coriacea - fruit
- Phoenix reclinataPhoenix reclinataPhoenix reclinata or Senegal Date Palm is a species of flowering plant in the palm family native to tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the Comoro Islands. The plants are found from sea level to 3000 m, in rain forest clearings, monsoonal forests and rocky mountainsides.-Description:P...
- fruit - Protorhus longifolia - fruit
- Rhus chirindensis - fruit
- Sclerocarya birreaSclerocarya birreaThe Marula is a medium-sized dioecious tree, indigenous to the miombo woodlands of Southern Africa and the Sudano-Sahelian range of West Africa. The tree is a single stemmed tree with a wide spreading crown...
- fruit - Strelitzia nicolaiStrelitzia nicolaiStrelitzia nicolai, commonly known as the Giant White Bird of Paradise or Wild Banana are banana-like plants with erect woody stems reaching a height of 6 m and the clumps formed can spread as far as 3.5 m ....
- soft parts of the flowers - Ximenia caffra - fruit
- Ziziphus mucronataZiziphus mucronataZiziphus mucronata, known as the Buffalo Thorn, "blinkblaar-wag-'n-bietjie" in Afrikaans and "mphasamhala" in Tsonga, is a species in the Rhamnaceae family.-Appearance and distribution:...
- fruit
Distribution and habitat
The vervet monkey ranges throughout much of SouthernSouthern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, being found from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and extreme southern Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is not found west of the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
or the Luangwa River
Luangwa River
The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The river generally floods in the rainy season and then falls considerably in the dry season...
, where it is replaced by the closely related malbrouck
Malbrouck
The malbrouck is a primate from Africa that belongs to the genus Chlorocebus. The species is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the Vervet Monkey , or of the widespread Grivet ....
(C. cynosuros). The vervet monkey inhabits savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
, riverine woodland, coastal forest and mountains up to 4000 m (13,100 ft). They are adaptable and able to persist in secondary and/or highly fragmented vegetation, including cultivated areas, and sometimes are found living in both rural and urban environments.
Introduced vervets also occur in Barbados, Saint Kitts, and Nevis. Dania Beach, Florida is also home to about 20 vervets.
Conservation status
In spite of low predator populations in many areas where human development has encroached on wild territories, this species is killed by electricity pylons, vehicles, dogs, pellet guns, poison, and bullets and is trapped for traditional medicine, bush meat, and for biomedical research. The vervet monkey has a complex and fragile social system, its persecution is thought to have affected troop structures and diminishing numbers.Multiple organisations are involved in vervet monkey conservation.
In ancient history
This species was known in ancient EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
including the Red Sea Mountains and the Nile Valley. From fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
artworks found in Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Santorini
Santorini
Santorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera...
there is evidence that the vervet monkey was known to the inhabitants of this settlement around 2000 BC; this fact is most noted for evidence of early contact between Egypt and Akrotiri.