VERVET MONKEY

The vervet monkey is of medium to large size and has a black-tipped tails which is often longer than its body.  Its fur is olive or grey, lighter on the underside.  Its hands and feet are black, as are its ears and face.  Its face has a white band above it, frames with white cheek tufts.  Its arem and legs are long, about the same length as each other, to enable the monkey to walk with ease on all fours while on the ground, and this actually makes it quite speedy when running.  The males tend to be bigger than the females and are easily distinguishable, with their bright blue testicles.

The vervet is an arboreal monkey, spending most of its time in the trees where it is safe, Although these monkeys do venture to the ground looking for food and water, they rarely go more that meters away from the trees, which are a protection for predators.  These animals are diurnal and spend their days foraging, and then rest at night.  They are very sociable animals, forming troops of between 10 and 50.  The troops are made up of adult females with their young, while males wander between different troops both to socialize and mate.