The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), 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.
The vervet monkey has a black face with a white fringe of hair, while the overall body colour is mostly grizzled-grey.The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, the males are larger in weight and body length. Adult males weigh between 3.9 and 8.0 kilograms (8.6 and 18 lb), averaging 5.5 kilograms (12 lb), and have a body length between 420 and 600 millimetres (17 and 24 in), averaging 490 millimetres (19 in) from the top of the head to the base of the tail. Adult females weigh between 3.4 and 5.3 kilograms (7.5 and 12 lb) and average 4.1 kilograms (9.0 lb), and measure between 300 and 495 millimetres (12 and 19.5 in), averaging 426 millimetres (16.8 in).
The vervet monkey uses different calls upon detecting different types of predators, including leopards, snakes and eagles. Infants appear to have an innate tendency to make these alarm calls, and adult monkeys seem to give positive reinforcement when their young make the right call, by repeating the alarm. Mothers have been reported to punish young giving the wrong call.
The vervet monkey eats a wide range of fruits, figs, leaves, seeds and flowers. It also eats birds' eggs and young chicks, and insects (grasshoppers and termites). In human inhabited environments it will eat bread and various crops; especially maize.
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.
Source:www.wikipedia.com
