Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Genus:	Chlorocebus
Species:	C. pygerythrus
Binomial name
Chlorocebus pygerythrus Linnaeus, 1758

The Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), sometimes simply known as the Vervet, is an Old World monkey in the family Cercopithecidae. (The common term "vervet" is also sometimes used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus.)

The Vervet Monkey ranges throughout much of Southern and East Africa, being found from Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and south to South Africa. It is not found west of the Great Rift Valley or Luangwa River,^[1] where replaced by the closely related Malbrouck (C. cynosuros). The two have often been considered conspecific, or considered subspecies of a widespread C. aethiops.^[3] The Vervet Monkey inhabits savanna lands and mountains up to 4000 m (13,100 ft.).

Vervet Monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops)

Vervet monkeys live in multi-female, multi-male groups (Turner, Maiers, & Mott, 1986) varying in size from 5 individuals to 76 (Fedigan & Fedigan, 1988). The average group size is 24 monkeys (Struthsaker, 1967). The sex ratio in a vervet monkey group is one female to one male (Struthsaker, 1963). Male vervet monkeys move to neighboring groups when they reach sexual maturity around the age of 5 (Cheney & Seyfarth, 1983). When the males do leave their kin group, they move directly to a new one in the surrounding area, in which, the males receive much aggression from the females of that group (Pusey & Packer, 1987). Female vervet monkeys remain in their natal group. (Cheney & Seyfarth, 1983).

For male vervet monkeys, there is a clear alpha and no clear ranking among subordinates. The females have a linear hierarchical system in which the order of the birth and kin relationships play an important part in the structure of the hierarchy (McGuire, 1982). Female offspring assume the social status of their mothers (McGuire, 1982). There is a possibility for rank change for females when an older matriarch dies, and the females of other matrilines challenge the remaining daughters. In vervet colonies, grandmothers have a stabilizing effect on social relationships for females; young adult females who have their birth mothers still living in the group usually receive less aggression from the nonkin females (Fairbanks, 1988).

Allomothering is a common social characteristic in the vervet colonies (Strusaker, 1971). As part of the intragroup dynamics, vervets participate in dyadic encounters that sometimes involve more than two monkeys (Struthsaker, unpublished findings). The coalitions they form are not always random, indicating there are social preferences in these encounters; low ranked vervets are only solicitors, while middle ranks are solicitors and solicitees, and high rank vervets are solicitees (Struthsaker, 1967). It is true that vervet monkeys have the ability to classify other individuals across the groups that surround them and within their own group (Cheney & Seyfarth, 1982). Vervet monkeys have great cognitive skills when dealing with each other but less sophisticated skills when interacting with objects in their environment (Cheney & Seyfarth, 1985).

Classification

There are five distinct subspecies of Vervet Monkeys:

• Chlorocebus pygerythrus hilgerti
• Chlorocebus pygerythrus excubitor
• Chlorocebus pygerythrus nesiotes
• Chlorocebus pygerythrus rufoviridis
• Chlorocebus pygerythrus pygerythrus

Protection & Conservation

Although non-human primates in South Africa are listed on C.I.T.E.S Appendix 2^[4], as a species that could become threatened if populations are not monitored, these species are not monitored and their true status remains unknown.

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^[5]. The vervet monkey has a complexed and fragile social system—their persecution is thought to have impacted on troop structures and diminishing numbers.

According to recent distribution maps, the vervet monkey is quickly disappearing in the Western Cape of South Africa where they are heavily persecuted. The Darwin Primate Group is the only rescue and rehabilitation centre for vervets in this province with their primary goals being to find methods for humans and wildlife to co-exist, to educate the public so that the severe persecution of monkeys and baboons in this province is confronted, and to help injured and orphaned vervet monkeys in need. The centre has a volunteer program to help with its goals.

The Vervet monkey foundation in South Africa is working on conservation and protection of the Vervet Monkey. The foundation makes use of volunteer workers from western countries.

There is also an invasive breeding population in Florida.^[6][7] It is believed that they escaped from the Tarzan Set in the 1950's, or possibly a road show.^[8]

In ancient history

This species was known in ancient Egypt including the Red Sea Mountains and the Nile Valley.^[9] 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.^[10]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chlorocebus pygerythrus

Wikispecies has information related to: Vervet Monkey

• Vervet Monkey Foundation
• Vervet Monkey calls
• BBC story: Vervet Monkeys raid farms
• Darwin Primate Group
• Vervet Monkey, Primate Info Net