Monday 23 December 2019
Thursday 20 June 2019
What animal am I? -> Vervet Monkey
Week 8 of our “What animal am I?” series .…
Clue 1: I am primarily herbivore, but sometimes turn into an
omnivore -> Living mostly on wild fruits, flowers, leaves &
seeds they sometimes also enjoy insects, eggs and small birds!
Clue 2: Tyndall
effect -> The vervet monkey has
vivid blue “family jewels” (scrotum) which pales when the animal falls in
social rank. The colour is not caused by hormonal shifts (mating
interests), it has to do with the scattering of light by the skin itself ->
like the Tyndall effect. It is concluded
that the blue-to-white colour variation is modulated by the degree of dermal
hydration. They do
chemistry without knowing it!
Clue 3: I am a
trichromat -> Old world monkeys and apes mainly see as
humans do – they are trichromats, so they pick up red, green & blue. In some cases
it's not as good as what we humans see - but it's much better than
cats and dogs. Scientists say that good colour vision
helps animals find ripe fruit.
Did
you know…
The vervet
monkey, is an Old World
monkey of the family Cercopithecidae (Cercopithecus means
‘long-tailed monkey’) native to Africa. It sports a black face surrounded by
a white fringe with various shades of grey to the reddish-green fur on the
body, with long arms, long legs and a long tail. A vervet
monkey is about the size of a large pet cat. Monkeys are generally considered
to be intelligent, especially the old world monkeys.
VERVET
MONKEY:
Lifespan: up
to 12 years (up to 30years in captivity)
Speed: 45 km/h
Scientific
name: Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Mass: 3.9 – 8kg
(females are slightly smaller than males)
Body length: 420
– 600mm (females are slightly smaller than males; measured from the top of the head to the base of the tail)
Diet: The vervet monkey eats a primarily
herbivorous diet, but sometimes turn into an omnivore. Living mostly on
wild fruits, flowers, leaves & seeds they sometimes also enjoy
insects, eggs and small birds!
Vervets have
pouches in their mouths where they can store food to be eaten
later.
They are arboreal (living in trees) monkeys and use their long arms
& tail to move quickly and safely through the trees in forests and wooded
areas near rivers and streams.
Although
they do venture down to the ground in search of both food and water, Vervet
Monkeys rarely go further than 450 meters from the trees, which helps to protect
them from predators. They are diurnal (day-active) animals spending the
days foraging for food and then rest at night. They need to drink daily.
Seeing in colour: Old world monkeys and apes mainly see as
humans do – they are trichromats, so they pick up red, green & blue. In some cases
it's not as good as what we humans see - but it's much better than
cats and dogs. Scientists say that good colour vision
helps animals find ripe fruit.
Blue Family Jewells: The vervet monkey has vivid
blue “family jewells” (scrotum) which pales when the animal falls in
social rank. The colour is not
caused by hormonal shifts (unlike the red bottoms of baboons and other primates
in heat), it has to do with the scattering of light by the skin itself ->
like the Tyndall effect. It is concluded
that the blue-to-white colour variation is modulated by the degree of dermal
hydration. They do
chemistry without knowing it!
The Tyndall Effect is the effect of light scattering in colloidal dispersion,
while showing no light in a true solution. ... Because a colloidal
solution or substance (like fog) is made up of scattered particles (like dust
and water in air), light cannot travel straight through.
A colloidal solution or
substance (like fog) is made up of scattered particles (like dust and water in
air), light cannot travel straight through. Rather, it collides with these
micro-particles and scatters causing the effect of a visible light beam… or in the Vervet monkey -> Blue Family Jewells 😉
For a better explanation
please follow this link: Theoretical
Chemistry
Social behaviour:
They have been noted for having human-like
characteristics, such as hypertension & anxiety. Vervets
live in close-knit social groups ranging from 10 to 70 individuals which are
called troops, with males moving to neighbouring groups at the time
of sexual maturity. Troop members spend social-bonding time grooming each
other, taking dirt and bugs out of their fur.
Hierarchy:
Within a troop, adult males form a dominance hierarchy that is established and
maintained by threat, aggression, fighting abilities, allies and age. Facial
expressions and body postures are used to communicate threats or aggressive
behaviour. Access to prime food recourses is determined by the
dominance hierarchy.
Female hierarchy is dependent on mothering and
producing offspring. Newborns are highly regarded in the troop, with all
members acknowledging them in a supportive manner. Females that rear a greater
number of infants gain respect and sit at the top of the female hierarchy.
Babies: Females have
one baby at a time, typically every year. Babies are born
throughout the year but mostly between October and March. Allomothering is the process when another individual besides
the mother cares for an infant, generally they are choose siblings or infants
of high-ranking individuals.
Grandmothers and
grandchildren share one-quarter of their genes, infants approach their
grandmothers more often than unrelated members and prefer their grandmothers
compared to other adult female kin, not including their own mothers.
Communication: Vervet monkeys have four confirmed predators: leopards, eagles, pythons, and baboons and warn each other about
potential threats using loud distinct
alarm screams. Monkey are very vocal in their hierarchy displays
and mothers can recognize their offspring by a scream alone.
Relationship with humans: 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, bullets and
is trapped for traditional medicine, bush meat and for biomedical research.
The vervet monkey
has a complex and fragile social system, and persecution of the monkeys is
thought to have affected troop structures and diminishing numbers. Many people
living in close proximity to vervet monkey colonies see them as pests as they
steal their food, fortunately however there are heavy fines in some cities to
discourage the killing of vervet monkeys.
Labels:
Fun
,
Fun Facts
,
Kruger Park
,
Pictures
,
safari
,
South Africa
,
Travel
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)