Southern green monkey
| Southern green monkey | ||||||||||||
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Southern green monkey |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chlorocebus pygerythrus | ||||||||||||
| ( F. Cuvier , 1821) |
The southern vervet monkey ( Chlorocebus pygerythrus ) is a species of primate from the family of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae). It is one of the six species in which the vervet monkeys are differentiated in the more recent classifications.
features
Southern green monkeys reach a head body length of 40 to 60 centimeters, the tail is up to 70 centimeters long. Their weight is 4 to 6 kilograms, with the males becoming significantly larger and heavier than the females. The fur of these animals is gray-green on the upper side, the underside is lighter, the hands and feet are black. The face is also black; it is framed by light hair on the cheeks and forehead. As with all vervet monkeys, the males have brightly colored genitals: the scrotum is blue and the penis is red.
distribution and habitat
Southern green monkeys are native to eastern and southern Africa . Their distribution area extends from Ethiopia and Somalia through Kenya and Tanzania to South Africa . They are found in a number of habitats, but prefer open forests and savannas. They avoid overly dense forests as well as completely treeless areas. They can also be near humans.
Way of life
These primates are semi-terrestrial (that is, they can be found both on the ground and in the trees) and, like all Old World monkeys, are diurnal. When they go to sleep, they retreat to trees. They live in groups of up to 50 animals, which are made up of several males, many females and their young animals. Both sexes establish a hierarchy that applies to access to food sources and to reproduction, for example. They communicate with each other using a range of sounds, gestures, and postures.
Southern vervet monkeys are omnivores but prefer fruits. In addition, they also eat flowers, leaves, young shoots, but also insects, worms and other small animals.
After a gestation period of around 165 days, the female gives birth to a single young. This is weaned in the second half of life and sexually mature at 2 to 3 years - although males seldom reproduce before the age of five due to group behavior.
threat
Southern vervet monkeys are widespread and can adjust to being close to humans better than most primate species. They sometimes occur in cities and penetrate plantations. In some places they are seen as a plague and persecuted for this reason, and there is also hunting for their meat. Overall, the species should not be endangered, the IUCN does not list them separately.
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
Web links
- KA Cawthon Lang: Primate Factsheets: Vervet ( Chlorocebus sp. )
- Chlorocebus pygerythrus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Kingdon, J., Gippoliti, S., Butynski, TM & De Jong, Y, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2013.