V is for VERVET

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 five distinct subspecies can be found mostly throughout Southern Africa, as well as some of the eastern countries. Vervets were transported to the islands of Barbados, Saint Kitts, and Nevis in conjunction with the African slave trade.  These mostly vegetarian monkeys have black faces and grey body hair colour, ranging in length from about 19ins (50cms) for males to about 16ins (40cms) for females.

In addition to very interesting behavioural research on natural populations, vervet monkeys serve as a non-human primate model for understanding genetic and social behaviours of humans.  They have been noted for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension, anxiety, and social and dependent alcohol use.  Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10-50 individuals, with males changing groups at the time of sexual maturity.  The most significant studies done on vervet monkeys involve their communication and alarm calls, specifically in regard to kin and group recognition and particular predator sightings.

The vervet eats a primarily vegetarian diet, living mostly on wild fruits,  flowers, leaves, seeds, and seed pods.  In agricultural areas, vervets become problem animals as they will raid bean crops, peas, young tobacco plants, vegetables, fruit and various grain crops.  Carnivorous aspects of their diet include grasshoppers and termites.  Raids of cattle egrets and weaver bird nest have been observed where the vervets will eat the eggs and chicks.

Female vervets do not have outward signs indicating a menstruation period, thus there are no elaborate social behaviours involving reproduction.  Typically, a female can give birth at any time during the year after a gestation period of about 165 days.  Usually only one infant is born at a time, though twins can occur rarely.  A normal infant weighs 300-400 grams.

In spite of low predator populations in many areas, human development has encroached on wild territories, and this species is killed by electricity pylons, vehicles, dogs, pellet guns, poison and bullets, and is trapped for traditional medicine, bush meat, an for biomedical research.  The vervet has a complex and fragile social system, its persecution is thought to have affected troop structures and diminish numbers.

This species was known in ancient Egypt including the Red Sea Mountains and the Nile Valley.  From fresco artworks found in Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island of Santorini there is evidence that the vervet money was known to the inhabitants of this settlement around 2000BC; this fact is most noted for evidence of early contact between Egypt and Akrotiri.

It's status according to the IUCN is "least concern" (I am not entirely sure what that means but I would be concerned about the future of this little animal).