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.

What animal am I? -> MEERKAT

Week 4 of our “What animal am I?” series .…Clues during the week -> featured animal revealed on Thursdays.

Clue 1: False identity? -> The word Meerkat is Dutch/Afrikaans for “lake cat”, although Meerkats don't live near lakes and they are not cats. They in fact belong to the Mongoose family.

Clue 2: Mob & sentry go hand in hand -> A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". Meerkats forage in a group with 1 -2 sentries watching for predators while the others search for food.

Clue 3: Claim to fame in 1994 -> Timon (Meerkat) and Pumbaa (Warthog) are the famous duo introduced in Disney's 1994 animated film “The Lion King”. Hakuna matata – no worries!

MEERKAT - Suricata

The meerkat belongs to the mongoose family and are active during the day. It is the only member of the genus Suricata. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia, southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. 

Meerkat:

Lifespan: 12 – 14 years (in captivity)

Speed: 32 km/h

Scientific name: Suricata suricatta

Mass: 0.6 to 0.9 kg (adult)

Body length: 25 – 35cm (adult without tail)

Did you know: A mob/clan of meerkats will always have one "sentry" on guard to watch out for predators while the others forage for food.

False identity: The word Meerkat is Dutch/Afrikaans for “lake cat”, although Meerkats don't live near lakes and they are not cats. In addition in casual Afrikaans, mier means termite, and kat means cat. It has been speculated that the name comes from their frequent association with termite mounds or the termites they eat.

Mob: A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members of which usually all are related. They are normally territorial and live in large underground tunnels. The mob comprised of equal numbers of males and females and these family groups, are led by an alpha pair, with the female being the most dominant.

Each meerkat mob will have a territory which they mark off with their scent. It is usually around 10km². They won't allow another group or mob of meerkats into their territory and will fight them, if needed. They move around within the territory each day in order to forage for food in different spots. 

If the group feels threatened by a predator, they will sometimes try mobbing or attacking it in a group. Although they usually run, they can be fierce fighters when needed.

Sentry: Meerkats forage in a group with 1 - 2 sentries watching for predators while the others search for food. Sentry duty is usually approximately an hour long. The meerkat standing guard makes peeping sounds when all is well. Meerkats have binocular vision, with two eyes on the front of the face as well as sense of smell and hearing. Generally, the sentry or lookout, will stand up straight on its hind legs using its tail as a tripod to balance.

This is so that it can get as high as possible to look for predators in the air and on the ground.

When a predator is spotted, the lookout meerkats will give a warning bark or whistle and rest of the family will quickly escape into one of the many entrances of their underground burrow. They take night shelter in their vast network of underground tunnels which also doubles to keep them cool from the hot desert sun.

Claim to fame: Timon (Meerkat) and Pumbaa (Warthog) are the famous duo introduced in Disney's 1994 animated film “The Lion King”.

Famous quote: Hakuna matata roughly translates to "there are no troubles" in Swahili, was translated to the now popular phrase "no worries." Which is the opposite of the meerkat’s behaviour!

Meerkats popularity grew further with the TV show Meerkat Manor from Animal Planet that followed several Meerkat families in the Kalahari Desert.

When colonies are exposed to human presence for a long time, they will become habituated, which allows for documentation of their natural behaviour. It is not unusual for camera crews, who must largely stay still for long periods while filming, to be utilized as convenient sentry posts.

Features: Meerkats have four toes on each foot and at the end of each of them is a claw used for digging burrows and digging for prey. Claws are also used with muscular hindlegs to help climb trees. The eyes are distinctively dark-ringed, with their coat being usually peppered grey, tan, or brown with silver. They have short parallel stripes across their backs with dark-tipped, short-haired, tapered tails.

The underside of the meerkat has no markings, but the belly has a patch which is only sparsely covered with hair and shows the black skin underneath.

Diet: Meerkats are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. They catch their preferred insects, small rodents, geckos, snakes, scorpions, spiders, eggs, small mammals, millipedes, centipedes and sometimes small birds with lightning swiftness, but also feed on plants and fungi (the desert truffle).

Since they don't have a lot of body fat, meerkats need to eat every day to keep their energy up. For example, meerkat adults teach their pups how to eat a venomous scorpion: they will remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature.

Predators: Martial eagles, tawny eagles and jackals are the main predators of meerkats. Meerkats are immune to certain types of venom, including the very strong venom of the scorpions of the Kalahari Desert. However some snakebites from the Puff Adder & Cape Cobras can lead to death.

Breeding: In each clan there is an alpha pair of meerkats that lead the group. The alpha pair typically reserves the right to mate and produce offspring. If others in the clan reproduce, then the alpha pair will usually kill the young and may kick the mother out of the clan. 

The entire group participates in the care and maintenance of young. While the pack is out foraging for food, one helper remains at the den to tend to the young. They babysit the young in the group and will protect them threats, often endangering their own lives. On warning of danger, the babysitter takes the young underground to safety and is prepared to defend them if the danger follows. Animals in the same group groom each other regularly. 

Meerkats, being wild animals, make poor pets. They can be aggressive, especially toward guests and they may also bite. They will scent-mark their owner and the house (their "territory")

Lion

King of the .... Bush (LIONS don't actually live in the Jungle 😉)

The LION is probably the most recognizable and best known species in the family Felidae; it is a muscular, deep-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. Largest Cat in Africa.

Lifespan: 10 – 14 years (adult, in the wild)

Speed: 80 km/h (max, in short bursts)

Scientific name: Panthera leo

Mass: Male adult; 150kg – 250kg, Female adult; 120kg – 185kg

Height: Male: 121cm at shoulder, Female at shoulder: 110cm at shoulder

Did you know: 

A Complex Social Structure: Unlike other cats, lions are very social animals. They live in groups, called prides. A pride consists of multiple related females and their dependent offspring along with 1 - 3 unrelated males. A typical pride has about 15 members, although some prides as large as 40 members have been observed. The size of the pride is determined by the availability of food and water.

Male lions are the only big cat species with manes.

Biggest Cat in Africa, but only second largest cat in the world: A male lion weighs about 225kg and grows to 244cm in length. It sounds impressive, but tigers are actually larger, reaching 385kg and 335cm long

Territory: They inhabit grasslands and plains where female lions typically hunt together in groups, preying mostly on large mammals although they scavenge when opportunities occur.

Contrary to popular believes, male lions also can and will hunt very successfully when necessary, however if the males are part of a pride (not solitude nomads) they normally stay home and watch over the pride, defending their territory from other rival prides or predators. The males, however, are first to eat when the female lions come back with their kill.

Female bond: Female lions, sisters, live together for life. Their female cubs also stay with the pride, even after they’re grown, but male cubs must venture out on their own once they reach maturity

Majestic Manes: Male lions have majestic manes that make them appear larger and more intimidating. This is primarily a great layer of protection around their necks in fierce territorial fights. Female lions are also attracted to fuller, thicker manes.

Lion Roar: A male lion’s roar can be heard from up to 8km) away – the loudest roar of any big cat species. Their roar helps them find other lions as well as to proclaim their territory. A pride’s territory may include up to 260km².

Lions are more active during day time compared to other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night & twilight

Leopard

#5 out of our 6 featured CATS: powerful LEOPARD:

The LEOPARD is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera. The leopard occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. Compared to other wild cats, the leopard has relatively short legs, a long body with a large skull and is similar in appearance to the jaguar. Its fur is marked with small densely packed rosettes. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers.

Lifespan: 12 – 17 years

Speed: 58 km/h (Running)

Scientific name: Panthera pardus

Mass: Male adult; 37 - 90kg (average ~60kg), Female adult; 28 – 60kg (average ~38kg)

Height: Male adult at shoulder: 60 – 70 cm, Female adult at shoulder: 57 – 64 cm

Usually, leopards are larger in areas where they are at the top of the food chain, without competitive restriction from larger predators such as the lion and tiger.

Did you know: 

Adaptivity: The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, and incredible strength (which it uses to move heavy carcasses into trees), as well as its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas.

Diet: Leopards eat small hoof-stock such as gazelle, impala, deer and wildebeast. On occasion, they may also hunt monkeys, rodents and birds. They often bring their prey up into the branches of a tree to eat it and protect it from other predators and scavengers.

Black Panther: A melanistic leopard is the scientific name for a "black panther". While these black cats may look spotless, if you look closely in good daylight, the leopard rosettes can be seen. It is a genetic mutation that causes the dark colouring which may be a beneficial evolutionary trait that improves a leopard’s ability to stay concealed during nocturnal hunts.

Climbing trees: Leopards are solitary (no match against a pride of lions or clan of hyenas) and rarely the largest predator in their area, therefore it is crucial for their young to learn climbing at a young age. This will keep them save and benefit them later to drag their kills into high trees to be stored and keep safe from predators like lions & hyenas.

Leopards have very strong and gripping claws so that they can climb almost a straight cliff, but even more impressive, they can jump up to 3m vertically!

Strong swimmers: Leopards are unlike most other big cats, surprisingly strong swimmers and don’t mind the water. This might be cause of their adaptivity to flourish and survive in different types of habitats

Vulnerability: The leopard is listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and fragmentation and are declining in large parts of the global range. Leopards are hunted illegally, and their body parts are smuggled in the wildlife trade for medicinal practices and decoration. Their population numbers are secret to keep them safe.

Cheetah

#4 out of our 6 featured CATS: the speed machine - CHEETAH:

The CHEETAH is a large cat of the subfamily Felinae that occurs in a variety of mostly arid habitats like dry forests, scrub forests, and savannahs. Its yellowish tan coat is uniformly covered with nearly 2,000 solid black spots. Its body is slender with a small rounded head, black tear-like streaks on the face, deep chest, long thin legs and long spotted tail.

Fastest animal on land!

Lifespan: 10 – 12 years (in the wild) and up to 20 years or longer in captivity 

Speed: 100 – 120 km/h (in short bursts, running)

Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus

Mass: 21 – 72 kg (Adult)

Height: 70–90 cm at the shoulder

Did you know:

Vulnerability: All populations of cheetah are on the decline, with the total population estimated at less than 7,000 individuals.

Roar: Unlike other big cats, cheetahs cannot roar because it does not have a floating Hyoid bone in its neck. However, they can purr on both inhale and exhale, like domestic cats.

Built for speed: The fastest land animal in the world, a cheetah can reach 112km/h in just three seconds – that's faster than most sports cars accelerate!

They stalk its prey to within 100-300m and charge, however they can only keep this high-speed-chase up for shorts distances of ~ 100m.

Its body has evolved for speed, with long legs, an elongated spine, adapted claws (blunt claws, more like studs on sports shoes!) to grip the ground and a long tail for balance. When running, cheetahs use their tail to steer, like a rudder for a boat. Cheetahs are the only big cat that can turn in mid-air while sprinting.

Male bond: Male cheetahs are the more social despite their territoriality, spending most of their lives in small groups called "coalitions", while females live with their youngsters until they are independent and rarely associate with adult cheetahs other than for brief breeding encounters.

Diurnal: The cheetah is active mainly during the day, with hunting its major activity. A cheetah has amazing eyesight during the day and can spot prey from 5 km away.

Surrender: Due to their light body weight, slender build and blunt claws, the cheetah is not well designed to protect themselves or their prey against a larger or more aggressive animals and will often give up its catch to avoid a fight.

Cubs: Cheetahs breed throughout the year and gestation lasts nearly three months, resulting in a litter of typically three to five, in rare cases up to eight cubs. Until about 3 month of age, cheetah cubs have thick silver-grey mantle down their back. The mantle helps camouflage the cubs by imitating the look of an aggressive animal called the honey badger. Honey badgers are known for their “bad-temper” and not being afraid of anything, even predators such as lions & hyaenas give it a wide berth.

The cubs are weaned at the age of about six months. After siblings become independent from their mother, they usually stay together for some time.

Tear-drop: Distinctive back tear stripes run from the eyes to the mouth. The stripes are thought to protect the eyes from the sun’s glare. It is believed that they have the same function as the rifle scope, helping cheetahs focus on their prey.

Caracal

Next one up (3rd) out of our 6 featured “Cats” … The high-jumper Caracal:

The CARACAL is a slender, moderately sized wild cat characterized by a robust build, a short face, long canine teeth, distinctive tufted ears, sharply tapered tail and long legs. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy with white markings around its eyes and on its throat, chin, and belly.

Lifespan: 12 – 15 years (in the wild) and up to 19 years or longer in captivity

Speed: up to 80km/h

Scientific name: Caracal caracal

Mass: 12 kg – 20kg (Adult) 

Height: 40 – 50cm (adult at shoulder)

Did you know:

Back Ear: The name Caracal is derived from the Turkish word "karakulak" which means "black ear".

High-jumper: The Caracal is very agile and can leap higher than 3.7m to catch birds like guinea-fowl & pigeons in mid-air. Alternatively, it stalks its prey until it is within 5m of it and then gives chase. The Caracal resembles a cross between a leopard and a lynx, it has a powerful build and leopard-like bark.

Excellent tree climbers, caracal will drag their prey into a tree to be eaten away from other predators.

Habitat: Caracals live in the open, drier savannah and woodland regions of sub-Saharan Africa and prefer the more scrubby, arid habitats. They will also inhabit evergreen and montane forests but are not found in tropical rain forests. They hide and sleep in crevices among rocks and fallen trees.

Nocturnal: The caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It is territorial and lives mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon small mammals, birds and rodents. It is generally active at sunrise & sunset, although during the hottest months it hunts at night.

Unfortunately they also prey on livestock like goats and sheep, therefore are they are sometimes killed for suspected predation and as a result are very weary of humans.

Serval

2nd out of our 6 featured “Cats” … The elusive Serval:

The SERVAL is a slender, medium sized cat which prefer areas of bush, tall grass, and dry reed beds near streams, but they are also found in high-altitude moorlands and bamboo thickets.  The serval's coat is yellowish-tan, with black spots, bands and stripes. The closely set ears are black on the back with a horizontal white band. The short tail is ringed with black, and the underparts of the body are white or light tan.

Lifespan: 10 - 12 years in the wild and up to 22 years in captivity

Speed: 80km/h

Scientific name: Leptailurus serval

Mass: 8 – 18kg (females tend to be lighter)

Height: 54 – 62 cm (adult at shoulder)

Did you know:

Long legs: The serval has the longest legs of all the cats, relative to its size.

Elusive: Active in the day as well as at night, servals tend to be solitary with minimal social interaction. Both sexes establish highly overlapping home ranges of 10 to 32 km².

Servals are carnivores – they prey on rodents (particularly field rats), small birds, frogs, insects and reptiles.

Hunting: The serval uses its sense of hearing to locate the prey; to kill small prey, it leaps over 2m above the ground to land on the prey on its forefeet, and finally kills it with a bite on the neck or the head.

Fast maturing: Mating takes place at different times of the year in different parts of their range, but typically once or twice a year. After a gestational period of two to three months, a litter of one to four is born. Weaning occurs at one month, and kittens begin hunting on their own at six months. The juveniles leave their mother at 12 months.

Habitat: The serval prefers areas with cover such as reeds and tall grasses and proximity to water bodies, such as wetlands and savannahs. 

African Wild Cat

1^st out of our 6 featured “Cats” …lets start with the smallest one first:

The AFRICAN WILD CAT is sandy brown to yellow grey in colour, with black stripes on the tail. ... Today's domestic cats are generally believed to be descendants of the African Wild Cat, which were tamed by the Egyptians over 4000 years ago to control rats and mice raiding their granaries. 

Lifespan: 5 – 12 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity

Speed: same as a cat ;)

Scientific name: Felis silvestris lybica

Mass:  3 - 8kg (very similar to domestic cats)

Height: 35 – 40cm (adult at shoulder – very similar to domestic cats)

Did you know:

Ancient relatives: Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat diverged into three clades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East and are the ancestors of the domestic cat. 

Crossings between domestic cats and African wildcats are still common today.

It occurs across a wide distribution and has a wide variety of coat colours to help it blend into its environment. Colours range from sandy to greyish-brown and dark grey, best to be distinguish between a domestic cat by the orange/reddish/tan colour on the back of their ears

Which statement belongs to which cat?

1. Today's domestic cats are descendants of ……….
2. Rosette markings, very powerful & excellent climber!
3. Distinctive tufted ears, sharply tapered tail with long legs.
4. Male …….. are the only big cat species with manes.
5. Fastest animal on land ; 0 - 112km/h in 3 seconds!
6. Longest legs of all the cats in relation to its size.

Answers: 
1: African Wild Cat
2: Leopard
3: Caracal
4: Lion
5: Cheetah
6: Serval 


🐾🦁🐆🐈🐾

That was too easy🙀…. A little more difficult questions:😼

1. Unlike most cats …. are very social animals.

2. Can Leap up to 3.7 m into the air!

3. Has black spots, bands and stripes.

4. Young cubs have silver-grey mantle down their backs, imitating the look of a Honey-Badger.

5. Loves water and swimming.

6. Colour range from sandy to greyish-brown to dark grey. 

Answers will be revealed later this week!

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