Name
Vervet Monkey [Chlorocebus pygerythrus]
Appearance
Males are 1.1m in length and weigh 6k, with females being smaller, weighing only 4kg. They have a silvery-grey coat with white eyebrow ridges, with a black face, hands, feet and tail tip. The male’s genitals are often brightly coloured to show sexual status.
Diet
Vervet Monkeys are omnivores, feeding on fruit flowers, meat and insects, which mainly consist of their diet. Primates are some of the very few animals that can actually see colour and this helps them to distinguish between ripe and green fruit, cheeky little monkeys.
Breeding
Vervet monkeys are seasonal breeders that have a gestation period of 140 days, where a single monkey is born between March and May.
Behaviour
Vervets are very social animals that travel and live in large organized troops that are dominated by males. Females never leave their troops when maturing but males leave after puberty in search of a new troop. Prime food resources are determined by the dominance hierarchy.
Habitat
Any area that has trees that are dense and tall, along with the availability of surface water allows vervets to appear in a variety of different environments, though they are specialists in forest edge environments. Vervets are fun to encounter during a Kruger Park Safari.
