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Project Noah Nature School
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
The vervet monkey is diurnal and social; living in groups of up to 38. There is a clear order of dominance among individuals within the group. The vervet monkey uses different sounds to warn of different types of predators. It has distinct calls to warn of the sighting of a leopard, a snake, or an eagle. These sounds are considered a proto-language by many ethologists. The young appear to have an innate tendency to make these alarm calls, and adult monkeys seem to give positive reinforcement when the young make the right call, by repeating the alarm.
Spotted on Oct 24, 2008
Submitted on Aug 19, 2011
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