Editing Vervet monkey

{{Short description|Species of Old World monkey}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Vervet monkey<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Groves|pages=159|id=12100508|heading=''Chlorocebus pygerythrus''}}</ref>
| image = Cercopiteco verde (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), parque nacional del lago Nakuru, Kenia, 2024-05-18, DD 77.jpg
| image_caption = Adult male vervet monkey
| image2 = Vervet_Monkey_(Chlorocebus_pygerythrus)_(W_CERCOPITHECUS_AETHIOPS_R2_C2).ogg
| image2_caption = Calls recorded at [[Lake Naivasha]], Kenya
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Butynski, T.M. |author2=De Jong, Y.A. |year=2022 |title=''Chlorocebus pygerythrus'' |volume=2022 |page=e.T136271A205998680 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T136271A205998680.en |access-date=18 November 2024}}</ref>
| genus = Chlorocebus
| species = pygerythrus
| authority = [[Frédéric Cuvier|F. Cuvier]], 1821
| range_map = Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) IUCN range 2022.svg
| range_map_caption = IUCN distribution (2022)
{{leftlegend|#2979b9|''C. p. rufoviridis''}}
{{leftlegend|#57a2cc|''C. p. hilgerti''}}
{{leftlegend|#73b2d8|''C. p. pygerythrus''}}
{{leftlegend|#c8dcf0|''C. p. nesiotes''}}
{{leftlegend|#08306b|''C. p. zavattarii''}}
}}

The '''vervet monkey''' ('''''Chlorocebus pygerythrus'''''), or simply '''vervet''', is an [[Old World monkey]] of the family [[Cercopithecidae]] native to [[Africa]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) |url=https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/68137-Chlorocebus-pygerythrus |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=iNaturalist |language=en}}</ref> 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. These mostly herbivorous monkeys have black faces and grey body hair color, ranging in body length from about {{convert|40|cm|abbr=on}} for females, to about {{convert|50|cm|abbr=on}} for males.

In addition to behavioral research on natural populations, vervet monkeys serve as a nonhuman primate model for understanding genetic and social behaviors of humans. They have been noted for having human-like characteristics, such as [[hypertension]], [[anxiety]], and social and dependent [[Recreational drug use in animals#Vervet monkeys|alcohol use]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Palmour |first1=R. |last2=Mulligan |first2=J. |last3=Howbert |first3 = J. J. |last4=Ervin |first4=F. |title=Of monkeys and men: vervets and the genetics of human-like behaviors |journal=[[American Journal of Human Genetics]] |pages=481–488 |year=1997 |volume=61 |doi=10.1086/515526 |issue=3 |pmc=1715973 |pmid=9326311}}</ref> Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10 to 70 individuals, with males moving to other groups at the time of [[sexual maturity]]. Studies done on vervet monkeys involve their communication and alarm calls, specifically in regard to kin and group recognition, and particular predator sightings.

== Taxonomy ==

The vervet monkey was previously classified as ''Cercopithecus aethiops'', now renamed '[[grivet]]', and reclassified as ''[[Chlorocebus]]''. The vervet and [[malbrouck]] have also been considered [[conspecific]], or as [[subspecies]] of a widespread ''Ch. aethiops''.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kingdon, J. |year=1997 |title=The Kingdom Guide to African Mammals |publisher=Academic Press Limited, London |isbn=0-12-408355-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/kingdonfieldguid00jona}}</ref> The different [[taxon|taxa]] are distinguished by coat colour and other [[Morphology (anatomy)|morphological]] characteristics. The characteristics of ''Ch. aethiops'' graduate into ''Ch. pygerythrus'' where their ranges meet, and thus deciding if the vervets commonly known to occur in Kenya are actually ''Ch. aethiops'' is difficult; animals in the same pack may be classified as one species or the other, and ''Ch. pygerythrus'' may also interbreed with [[Chlorocebus tantalus|''Ch. tantalus'']] where their ranges meet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2015/01/14/primate-discoveries-in-northwest-kenya/ |title=A rainbow of savanna monkeys |last1=de Jong |first1=Y. |last2=Butynski |first2=T. |date=14 January 2015 |website=National Geographic Society Newsroom |publisher=[[National Geographic]] |access-date=10 April 2021}}</ref>

Colin Groves recognised the below five subspecies of vervet monkey in the third edition of ''Mammals of the World'':<ref name=msw3/>

* ''Chlorocebus pygerythrus excubitor''
* ''Ch. p. hilgerti'' from southern [[Kenya]]<ref name="gbif.net">Biodiversity occurrence data provided by: Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of Washington Burke Museum, and University of Turku (Accessed through GBIF Data Portal, www.gbif.net, 2010-06-18)</ref>
* ''Ch. p. nesiotes''
* ''Ch. p. pygerythrus'' from [[South Africa]], [[Botswana]],<ref name="gbif.net"/> [[Lesotho]], and [[Eswatini]].<ref name="Cillie1992">{{cite book |last=Cillié |first=B. |year=1992 |title=Pocket guide to southern African mammals |isbn=0-627-01686-3 |publisher=Van Schaik Publishers}}</ref>
* ''Ch. p. rufoviridis'' from [[Mozambique]]<ref name="gbif.net"/> and [[Uganda]] has a distinctly reddish-coloured back, which is darker towards the base of the tail.<ref name="Skinner1990" />

Groves used ''Ch. p. hilgerti'' for all East African vervets except the insular subspecies ''Ch. p. excubitor'' and ''Ch. p. nesiotes''. The name ''Ch. p. centralis'' has been suggested to have precedence, and that ''Ch. p. hilgerti'' should be restricted to the population of southern Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Gippoliti | first = S. | title = The name of the East African vervet monkey (genus ''Chlorocebus'' Gray, 1870) (Primates, Cercopithecidae) | journal = Doriana | volume = 9 | issue = 404 | location = Genoa | date = December 2018 | issn = 0417-9927}}</ref>

=== Synonymy ===
''Ch. p. pygerythrus'', as ''Cercopithecus aethiops'', was also formerly divided into four subspecies:

*''C. a. pygerythrus'', from South Africa ([[Western Cape]], [[Eastern Cape]], [[Northern Cape]] and southern [[KwaZulu-Natal]]), and Lesotho; is said to have pale-colored limbs and white hands and feet (though the hands are also said to be black with a scattering of greyish hairs),<ref name="Skinner1990"/> and a greyish body colour with an olive sheen.<ref name="Cillie1992"/>
*''C. a. cloetei'', from northern [[KwaZulu-Natal]], Eswatini, and northern South Africa; is darker, with greyish-brown speckles and dark feet.<ref name="Cillie1992"/>
*''C. a. marjoriae'', from southern Botswana and the [[North West Province (South Africa)|North West Province]] of South Africa; is pale in colour (light ash-grey).<ref name="Cillie1992"/>
*''C. a. ngamiensis'',<ref>Meester, J. A. J., I. L. Rautenbach, N. J. Dippenaar, and C. M. Baker. 1986. Classification of southern African mammals. Transvaal Museum Monographs 5:1–359</ref> from north-eastern Botswana and the [[Okavango Basin|Okavango]]; has pale feet and a yellowish back<ref name="Cillie1992"/> and the tail is darker (especially towards the tip) than in other southern vervets.<ref name="Skinner1990" />

These subspecies are no longer recognised and are synonymous with ''Ch. p. pygerythrus''.

== Distribution and habitat ==

=== Natural habitat ===
The vervet monkey ranges throughout much of [[Southern Africa|Southern]] and [[East Africa]], being found from [[Ethiopia]] and extreme southern [[South Sudan]] all the way down to [[South Africa]]. It is not found west of the [[East African Rift]] or the [[Luangwa River]],<ref name="msw3" /> where it is replaced by the closely related [[malbrouck]] (''C. cynosuros'') species. The vervet monkey inhabits [[savanna]], riverine woodland, coastal forest, and mountains up to 4000&nbsp;m (13,100&nbsp;ft). They are adaptable and able to persist in secondary and/or highly fragmented vegetation, including cultivated areas, and sometimes are found living in both rural and urban environments.<ref name=iucn/> Annual home range size has been observed to be as high as 176 ha, with an average population density of 54.68 animals/km<sup>2</sup>.

=== Introduced ===
Vervet monkeys that are naturalised (introduced by humans) are found in [[Cape Verde]], [[Ascension Island]], [[Saint Helena]], [[St Kitts and Nevis]], and [[Barbados]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McGuire |first=M. T. |date=June 1974 |title=The history of the St. Kitts vervet |journal=Caribbean Quarterly |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=37–52 |doi=10.1080/00086495.1974.11829225 |issn=0008-6495}}</ref> [[Dania Beach, Florida]], is home to about 40 introduced vervets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scientist concerned about vervet monkeys missing from Dania Beach colony | date=11 February 2020 |url=https://wsvn.com/news/special-reports/scientist-concerned-about-vervet-monkeys-missing-from-dania-beach-colony/#:~:text=It%20is%20one%20of%20those,they%20don't%20bother%20anyone.}}</ref><ref>Long, J. L. (2003). Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution, and Influence. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood, Australia. ISBN 9780643099166</ref>

== Physical description ==
The vervet monkey very much resembles a [[gray langur]], having a black face with a white fringe of hair, while its overall hair color is mostly grizzled-grey.<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Stuart, C. |author2=Stuart, T. |year=1997 |title=Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa |isbn=1-86825-757-6 |publisher=Penguin Random House South Africa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Fedigan, L. |author2=Fedigan, L. M. |year=1988 |title=''Cercopithecus aethiops'': a review of field studies. |location=Cambridge (UK) |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=389–411}}</ref> The species exhibits [[sexual dimorphism]]; the males are larger in weight and body length and may be recognized by a turquoise-blue scrotum. Adult males weigh between {{Convert|3.9|and|8.0|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, averaging {{Convert|5.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and have a body length between {{Convert|420|and|600|mm|in|abbr=on}}, averaging {{Convert|490|mm|in|abbr=on}} from the top of the head to the base of the tail. Adult females weigh between {{Convert|3.4|and|5.3|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and average {{Convert|4.1|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, and measure between {{Convert|300|and|495|mm|in|abbr=on}}, averaging {{Convert|426|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Skinner1990">{{Cite book |author1=Skinner, J.D.  |author2=Smithers, R.H.N.  |name-list-style=amp |year=1990 |title=The mammals of the southern African subregion |edition=2nd |location=Pretoria (South Africa) |publisher=University of Pretoria |page=771 |isbn=0-86979-802-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |editor=Napier, P.H. |year=1981 |title=Catalogue of primates in the British Museum (Natural History) and elsewhere in the British Isles |chapter=Part II: Family Cercopithecidae, Subfamily Cercopithecinae |location=London |publisher=British Museum (Natural History) |page=203}}</ref>

== Behaviour ==

===Social behaviour===
[[File:Vervet monkeys grooming.JPG|thumb|left|A vervet monkey grooms another in Gaborone, Botswana]]
[[File:Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus rufoviridis) juvenile, Semliki Wildlife Reserve.jpg|thumb|right|Juvenile ''C. p. rufoviridis'', [[Uganda]]]]
When males reach sexual maturity, they move to a neighboring group.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pasternak|first1=G.|last2=Brown|first2=L.|last3=Kienzle|first3=S.|last4=Fuller|first4=A.|last5=Barrett|first5=L.|last6=Henzi|first6=P.|title=Population ecology of vervet monkey in a high latitude, semi-arid riparian woodland|journal=Koedoe|date=2013|volume=55|issue=1|doi=10.4102/koedoe.v55i1.1078|doi-access=free|hdl=10500/8791|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Often, males move with a brother or peer, presumably for protection against aggression by males and females of the resident group. Groups that had previously transferred males show significantly less aggression upon the arrival of another male. In almost every case, males migrate to adjacent groups. This obviously increases benefits in regard to distance traveled, but also reduces the amount of genetic variance, increasing the likelihood of [[inbreeding]].<ref name="dispersal">{{cite journal| last = Cheney| first = D. L.|author2=Seyfarth, R. M. | title = Nonrandom dispersal in free-ranging vervet monkeys: social and genetic consequences| journal = [[The American Naturalist]]| volume =122| issue =3| pages =392–412| date =September 1983| jstor =2461023| doi = 10.1086/284142 | s2cid = 84820877}}</ref>

Females remain in their groups throughout life. Separate [[Dominance hierarchy|dominance hierarchies]] are found for each sex. Male hierarchies are determined by age, tenure in the group, fighting abilities, and allies, while female hierarchies are dependent on maternal social status. A large proportion of interactions occurs between individuals that are similarly ranked and closely related. Between unrelated individuals, female competition exists for grooming members of high-ranking families, presumably to gain more access to resources. These observations suggest individual recognition is possible and enables discrimination of genetic relatedness and social status. Interactions between different groups are variable, ranging from highly aggressive to friendly. Furthermore, individuals seem to be able to recognise cross-group vocalisations, and identify from and to which monkey each call is intended, even if the call is made by a subadult male, which is likely to transfer groups. This suggests the members within a group are actively monitoring the activity of other groups, including the movement of individuals within a group.<ref name="individuals">{{cite journal| last = Cheney| first = D. L.|author2=Seyfarth, R. M. | title =Recognition of individuals within and between groups of free-ranging vervet monkeys| journal = [[American Zoologist]]| volume =22| issue =3| pages =519–529| date =1982| jstor= 3882575| doi=10.1093/icb/22.3.519| doi-access =free}}</ref>

Within groups, aggression is directed primarily at individuals that are lower on the hierarchy. Once an individual is three years or older, it is considerably more likely to be involved in conflict. Conflict often arises when one group member shows aggression toward a close relative of another. Further, both males and females may redirect aggression towards individuals in which both had close relatives that were previously involved in a conflict. This suggests complex recognition not only of individuals, but also of associations between individuals. This does not suggest recognition of other's individual kinship bonds is possible, but rather that discrimination of social relationships does occur.<ref name="socialally">{{cite journal| last = Cheney| first = D. L.|author2=Seyfarth, R. M. | title =The recognition of social alliances by vervet monkeys|journal = [[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]]| volume =34| issue = 6| pages =1722–1731| date =1986| doi = 10.1016/S0003-3472(86)80259-7| s2cid = 53184485| doi-access = free}}</ref>
[[File:Vervet monkeys Kruger.jpg|thumb|upright|Female and juvenile, [[Kruger Park]], [[South Africa]]]]

=== Alarm calls and offspring recognition ===
Vervet monkeys have four confirmed [[predator]]s: leopards, eagles, pythons, and baboons. The sighting of each predator elicits an acoustically distinct alarm call.<ref name="alarm">{{cite journal| last = Seyfarth| first = R. M. |author2=Cheney, D. L |author3=Marler, P.| title =Vervet monkey alarm calls: semantic communication in a free-ranging primate|journal = [[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]]| volume =28 | issue = 4| pages =1070–1094| date =1980| doi = 10.1016/S0003-3472(80)80097-2| s2cid = 53165940 }}</ref> As infants, vervets learn to make the variety of calls from observation alone, without explicit tutelage. In experimentation with unreliable signalers, individuals became habituated to incorrect calls from a specific individual. Though the response was lessened for a specific predator, if an unreliable individual gives an [[alarm call]] for a different predator, group members respond as if the alarm caller is, in fact, reliable. This suggests vervet monkeys are able to recognize and to respond to not only the individual calling, but also to the semantics of what the individual is communicating.<ref name="fakealarm">{{cite journal| last = Cheney| first = D. L.|author2=Seyfarth, R.M. | title =Assessment of meaning and the detection of unreliable signals by vervet monkeys|journal = [[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]]| volume =36| issue = 2| pages =477–486| date =1988| doi = 10.1016/S0003-3472(88)80018-6| s2cid = 53167785}}</ref> Vervet monkeys are thought to have up to 30 different alarm calls. In the wild, they have been seen giving a different call when seeing a human being approaching, leading researchers to believe that vervet monkeys may have a way of distinguishing between different land and flight predators.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Estes|first1=Richard Despard|title=The behaviour guide to African mammals|date=2012|publisher=University of California press|location=London England|edition=20th Anniversary}}</ref>

Mothers can recognise their offspring by a scream alone. A juvenile scream elicits a reaction from all mothers, yet the juvenile's own mother has a shorter latency in looking in the direction of the scream, as well as an increased duration in her look. Further, mothers have been observed to help their offspring in conflict, yet rarely aid other juveniles. Other mothers evidently can determine to which mother the offspring belongs. Individuals have been observed to look towards the mother whose offspring is creating the scream.<ref name="vocalrecog">{{cite journal| last = Cheney| first = D. L.|author2=Seyfarth, R. M. | title =Vocal recognition in free-ranging vervet monkeys|journal = [[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]]| volume =28| issue = 2| pages =362–367| date =1980| doi = 10.1016/S0003-3472(80)80044-3| s2cid = 53258798}}</ref>

=== Kin relationships ===
Siblings likely provide the prevailing social relationships during development. Within social groups, mother-offspring and sibling interactive units are distinct groups. The sibling interactions are heavily supportive and friendly, but do have some competition. Contests primarily involve postweaning resource allocation by the common mother. For example, siblings have conflict over grooming time allocated by their mother. Offspring are usually not born in extremely close time proximity due to the interbirth period of the mother. This time can be reduced by use of an [[Alloparenting|allomother]]. The clarity of the familial and sibships within a group may act as a form of alliance, which would come at relatively low cost in regards to grooming. Other alliances are shown through conflict with aggressive individuals that have acted against a closely related sibling.<ref name="sibships">{{cite journal| last = Lee| first = P.C.| title =Sibships: cooperation and competition among immature vervet monkeys|journal =[[Primates (journal)|Primates]]| volume =28| issue =1| pages =47–59| date =1987| doi = 10.1007/BF02382182| s2cid = 21449948}}</ref>
[[Image:Vervet monkey and baby.jpg|thumb|left|Vervet monkey female with a baby]]

Allomothering is the process when another individual besides the mother cares for an infant. In groups of vervet monkeys, infants are the target of a tremendous amount of attention. Days after an infant is born, every member of the group inspects the infant at least once by touching or sniffing. While all group members participate in infant caretaking, [[juvenile (organism)|juvenile]] females that cannot yet [[menstruate]] are responsible for the majority of allomothering. The benefit is mutual for the mother and allomother. Mothers that use allomothers are able to shorten their interbirth periods, the time between successive births. At the same time, allomothers gain experience in rearing infants, and had more success in raising their own offspring. Juvenile females discriminate in preference for the infant they choose to allomother, and usually choose siblings or infants of high-ranking individuals. When a mother allows her juvenile daughter to become an allomother for a newborn sibling, the mother decreases her own investment in the infant, while increasing the chances of successful rearing of her immature daughter.<ref name="allomother">{{cite journal| last = Fairbanks| first = L. A.| title =Reciprocal benefits of allomothering for female vervet monkeys|journal = [[Animal Behaviour (journal)|Animal Behaviour]]| volume =40| pages =553–562| date =1990| doi = 10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80536-6| issue = 3| s2cid = 53193890}}</ref>

Grandmothers and grandchildren share one-quarter of their genes, so they should be more likely to form affiliative relationships than unrelated members in a group. Not only do infants approach their grandmothers more often than unrelated members, but they also prefer their grandmothers compared to other adult female kin, not including their own mothers. Additional research has shown grandmothers show no preference over the sex of their grandchild. Interest in the grandchild spurred from the rank of the grandmother within a group. Higher-ranking grandmothers showed more interest in caring for their grandchildren when compared to low-ranking grandmothers. The presence of grandmothers has been associated with a decrease in mortality of infants.<ref name="grandmothers">{{cite journal| last = Fairbanks| first = L. A.| title =Vervet monkey grandmothers: interactions with infant grandoffspring| journal = [[International Journal of Primatology]]| volume =9| issue =5|pages =426–441| date =1988| doi=10.1007/bf02736218| s2cid = 6784648}}</ref>

=== Spite ===

[[Spite (sentiment)|Spite]]ful actions are extremely rare in the animal kingdom. Often, an indirect benefit is gained by the individual acting 'spitefully', or by a close relative of that individual. Vervet monkeys have been observed to destroy a competitor's food source rather than consume or steal it themselves. While energy is being lost on destroying the food, an advantage is obtained by the individual due to an increase in competitive gain. This would be pertinent for a male that could be displaced within his group by [[immigrating]] males.<ref name="spite">{{cite journal| last = Horrocks| first = J.|author2=Hunte, W. | title ='Spite'; a constraint on optimal foraging in the vervet monkey ''Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus'' in Barbados| journal = [[American Zoology]]| volume =21| page =939| date =1981}}</ref>

=== Reproduction ===
Female vervets do not have external signs indicating [[estrus]], thus elaborate social behaviors involving reproduction do not occur. Typically, a female gives birth once a year, between September and February, after a [[gestation period]] around 165 days. Usually, only one infant is born at a time, though twins can occur rarely. A normal infant weighs {{convert|300–400|g|oz}}.<ref name="Skinner1990"/>

== Ecology ==

=== Diet ===
The vervet monkey eats a primarily herbivorous diet, living mostly on wild fruits, flowers, leaves, seeds, and seed pods. In agricultural areas, vervets become problem animals, as they raid bean, pea, young tobacco, vegetable, fruit, and grain crops. Animal foods of their diet include [[grasshopper]]s and [[termite]]s. Raids of [[cattle egrets]] and [[weaver bird]] nests have been observed where the vervets eat the eggs and chicks.<ref name="Skinner1990"/>

A list of some natural food plants and part of the plant eaten, in South Africa:<ref name="Skinner1990"/><ref>Pooley, E. (1993). The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. {{ISBN|0-620-17697-0}}.
</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Acacia erioloba]]'' – seeds and pods
* ''[[Aloe]]''spp. – nectar (flowers)
* ''[[Celtis africana]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Colophospermum mopane]]'' – seeds
* ''[[Deinbollia oblongifolia]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Euphorbia ingens]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Euphorbia tirucalli]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Ficus abutilifolia]]'' – figs
* ''[[Ficus sur]]'' – figs
* ''[[Ficus sycomorus]]'' – figs
* ''[[Grewia afra]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Harpephyllum afrum]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Hyphaene coriacea]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Phoenix reclinata]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Protorhus longifolia]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Rhus chirindensis]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Sclerocarya birrea]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Strelitzia nicolai]]'' – soft parts of the flowers
* ''[[Ximenia afra]]'' – fruit
* ''[[Ziziphus mucronata]]'' – fruit
{{div col end}}

=== Relationship with humans ===

[[Image:Chlorocebus pygerythrus00.jpg|thumb|upright|An infant vervet monkey, South Africa]]
The monkeys are used for biomedical research.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4276460.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080713013738/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4276460.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 July 2008 | work=The Times | location=London | title=Germ warfare fear over African monkeys taken to Iran | first=D. | last=Foggo | date=6 July 2008 | access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref> Many people living in close proximity to vervet colonies see them as pests, as they steal their food. Heavy fines in some areas discourage the killing of vervet monkeys.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mngoma, N. |url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/r10-000-reward-for-monkey-killer-1.1753789#.VXt2t_mqrUc |title=R10 000 reward for monkey killer |publisher=IOL |date=19 September 2014 |access-date=24 May 2017}}</ref>

Its status according to the [[IUCN]] is "least concern".<ref name=iucn/>

This species was known in ancient [[Egypt]], including the [[Red Sea Mountains]] and the [[Nile Valley]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Moeyersons, J.|author2= Vermeersch, P. M.|author3= Beeckman, H. |author4= Van Peer, P. |title=Holocene environmental changes in the Gebel Umm Hammad, Eastern Desert, Egypt: Dry cave deposits and their palaeoenvironmental significance during the last 115 ka, Sodmein Cave, Red Sea Mountains, Egypt |journal=Geomorphology |volume=26 |issue=4 |year=1999 |pages=297–312 |doi=10.1016/S0169-555X(98)00067-1|doi-access= }}</ref> From [[fresco]] artworks found in [[Akrotiri (prehistoric city)|Akrotiri]] on the Mediterranean island of [[Santorini]] there is evidence that the vervet monkey was known to the inhabitants of this settlement around 2000 [[Before Christ|BC]]; this fact is most noted for evidence of early contact between Egypt and Akrotiri.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://themodernantiquarian.com/site/10846/akrotiri.html#fieldnotes |author=Michael Hogan, C. |date=2007-12-13 |title=Akrotiri |publisher=Modern Antiquarian |access-date=2008-07-13}}</ref> Excavations dated to the end of the 1st century AD from [[Berenice Troglodytica|Berenike]], a Roman-Egyptian port-town on the Red Sea coast, demonstrate that vervet monkeys must have been kept as pets at that time.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Osypińska |first=Marta|date= December 2016|title=Pet cats at the Early Roman Red Sea port of Berenike, Egypt |journal= Antiquity|volume=90|issue= 354|doi=10.15184/aqy.2016.181 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Cercopiteco verde (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), parque nacional Kruger, Sudáfrica, 2018-07-25, DD 57.jpg|Adult male vervet monkey in South Africa
File:Vervet_skull_front_Ilanda.JPG|Front view of the skull of a vervet monkey
File:Vervet_skull_side_Ilanda.JPG|Side view of the skull
Image:Vervet Monkeys in Samburu.jpg|Vervet monkeys in [[Samburu National Reserve|Samburu]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.vervet.za.org/ Vervet Monkey Foundation]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6959209.stm BBC story: Vervet monkeys raid farms]
* [http://www.darwinprimategroup.blogspot.com/ Darwin Primate Group]
* [http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/vervet Vervet monkey], Primate Info Net
* [http://www.nitrc.org/projects/vervet_atlas/ Computerized atlas of vervet brain MRI]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSm7BcQHWXk Alcoholism in vervet monkeys]

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[[Category:Chlorocebus|vervet monkey]]
[[Category:Mammals of Uganda]]
[[Category:Mammals of Botswana]]
[[Category:Mammals of Burundi]]
[[Category:Mammals of Ethiopia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Kenya]]
[[Category:Mammals of Malawi]]
[[Category:Mammals of Mozambique]]
[[Category:Mammals of Rwanda]]
[[Category:Mammals of Somalia]]
[[Category:Mammals of South Africa]]
[[Category:Mammals of Eswatini]]
[[Category:Mammals of Tanzania]]
[[Category:Mammals of Zambia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Zimbabwe]]
[[Category:Fauna of Cape Verde]]
[[Category:Fauna of East Africa]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1821|vervet monkey]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Frédéric Cuvier|vervet monkey]]