Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus)

Genus: Chlorocebus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family:Cercopithecidae

The vervet monkeys or green monkeys are medium-sized primates from the family of Old World monkeys. There are six species currently recognized, although some classify them all as a single species with six subspecies. Either way, they make up the entirety of the genus Chlorocebus.

These monkeys are found only in sub-Saharan Africa; their range extends from Senegal and Ethiopia down to South Africa. A small population, which travelled with enslaved Africans as pets, also are found in the Caribbean, especially on the islands of Barbados and Saint Kitts.

The top side of the fur of the vervet monkeys varies by species from pale yellow through grey-green brown to dark brown, while the lower portion and the hair ring around the face is whitish yellow. The face, hands, and feet are hairless and black, although their abdomenal skin is bluish. Males have a bright blue scrotum and red penis. Vervet monkeys reach an adult size of from 40 to 43 cm for males and 34 to 39 cm for females, with a tail measuring 30 to 50 cm long. Males weigh from 4 to 4.5 kg and females weigh from 2.5 to 3.5 kg.