African Vervet Monkey

The vervet monkey livs in the grasslands south to eastern and southern Africa. Their habitat is the savannah and woodlands. They grow to about 46-66cm. Their weight is: male 4.5 pounds. female 3.3 pounds. The vervet monkies live for about 7-12 years. They eat fruit, leaves, crops, flowers, baby birds, eggs and rodents. Vervet monkeys have long arms and legs which allow them to move at speed on the ground. Their coloring varies even among members of the same troop, but generally they have golden backs, grey limbs, and a black face.Male vervets are often larger than females, and unusually for monkeys, there may be several adult males in each group. These will fight each other for control of the group, and power frequently changes hands as a dominant male leaves the group or young males reach maturity.A single infant is born five to six months after mating. It is fully furred and its eyes are open, and from birth it is able to cling to its mother's belly fur, though she will usually support it with her arm during the first few hours. Older vervets are allowed to look after the young when they are a few months old. This teaches them how to look after their own young when it is their turn to breed. Females often stay with their mothers for as long as they live, the mothers bring the babys food untill they are old enough to find food on their own. Males leave their family at about five years of age to join other group and to start to breed. Vervets have a very mixed diet, although their favourite food is fruit. They will also eat flowers and leaves, crops from farmsteads, and even insects, eggs and small rodents. They collect food using their hands, and the young are taught what foods to pick and how to prepare them for eating by their mothers. Vervets also make regular evening trips to a water-hole to drink. Vervets' natural predators include eagles and snakes, particularly the python, which often waits at the bottom of a tree to ambush an unsuspecting monkey as it climbs down. Pythons are able to swallow vervets whole. Baboons sometimes kill and eat vervet monkeys too. The picture is of a baby Vervet monkey. Credits: Vervet monkey facts