Chlorocebus pygerythrus

The green monkey is a medium-sized black-faced monkey with a head-body length of 35-65 cm, a tail length of 42-71 cm, and a weight of 2.5-8 kg. There is a white band across the forehead, and the cheeks are hairless but covered with soft white hair around them, highlighting the outline of the black skin. The upper body is covered with thick gray to yellow or reddish-green fur, with a grayish-white appearance in some places. The lower body and the inside of the limbs are bluish-white, and the tail, ears, hands, and feet are black. Like other monkeys, it has a slender tail. Males and females are dimorphic. The male's scrotum is partially blue and the penis is obviously red, and its color combination presents a distinct "red, white, and blue" display.
The fur of the young monkeys is dark when they are born and young, and the facial skin is pink, which gradually darkens during the growth period after a few months. The green monkey was previously considered a subspecies of

Distributed in Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, United Republic of Tanzania, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe.
The green monkey is a highly adaptable species that occupies a variety of habitats, including savannahs, open woodlands, and forest edges, although it does not usually live in deserts and dense forests. They are also able to use areas with secondary forest growth, as well as highly fragmented vegetation, including agricultural areas and highly densely populated urban environments. Prefers to be active near rivers and streams.

Green monkey (scientific name: Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is called Vervet in foreign language, and has 5 subspecies.

Green monkey often moves on the ground. It is gregarious. It is good at climbing, running, and swimming. Populations vary widely, with groups ranging in size from 7 to 80 individuals. Female Bale Mountain Green Monkeys remain in their family group when they reach sexual maturity, while adult males leave their original families. This helps to avoid inbreeding and increase the spread of desired genes. Bale Mountain Green Monkeys have overlapping territories in many habitats. Male Bale Mountain Green Monkeys determine dominance through fighting or displaying their scrotums, and social hierarchy determines how much resources teammates receive. Bale Mountain Green Monkey leaders restrict other males from mating and defend their territory against males from other tribes entering their group. Such encounters are usually limited by environmental conditions and resource availability. Territorial violations only occur when food is scarce or habitat is becoming increasingly scarce.

Green-bellied Green Monkeys are highly social animals. Like to live in groups, it is a very smart animal. Usually, group members often use ways such as raising eyebrows, squinting eyes, and pouting to communicate emotions. Like other monkeys, Bell Mountain green monkeys often groom each other and like to "catch lice" for each other to show intimacy. Usually, male monkeys groom male monkeys, and female monkeys groom female monkeys. There are fewer cases of "catching lice" between the two sexes. In the breeding season, males and females groom each other, which is a sign of intimacy between spouses.

The green-bellied green monkey is a very vocal primate. Vocalization is mainly to alert members of the tribe that there is danger. Bell Mountain green monkeys can use different calls to distinguish various enemies and levels of danger, and males can also communicate through body language. Use brightly colored genitals. Or use more subtle communication methods through facial expressions. Studies have shown that facial expressions are related to emotional states. Anger, elation, and even emotional frustration show different facial expressions. Bale Mountain monkeys use facial expressions to indicate danger or satisfaction, depending on the situation.

In the wild, green monkeys have different screams for different dangers, one might indicate a leopard lurking nearby, another might indicate a human threatening it. Because they live in the foliage-covered jungle, they can hear each other's screams but cannot see each other, so they also need to be able to distinguish accents. Different families of Bale Mountain monkeys have subtle differences in their accents, which is important, for example, a female animal will be more likely to rescue her own cubs more quickly than if she hears the cries of another species.

Green monkeys mainly feed on fruits and leaves. Food resources depend on the year and environmental conditions. In the rainy season, they mainly feed on fruits, while in the dry season, after the dry season or fire, the Bale Mountain Green Monkey will go around the grassland to forage for edible plants, including grass leaves and roots with little nutrition, and also eat bamboo shoots, roots, leaves of young bamboo, flowers and insects. Bale Mountain Green Monkeys usually use cheek pouches to store and carry food. These cheek pouches are present in all members of the monkey family. This behavior protects them from retaining precious food and allows Bale Mountain Green Monkeys to continue collecting food for longer periods of time.

The social structure of the Green-bellied Green Monkey is a male-dominated, polygamous mating system. Reproduction occurs once a year and can occur in any season of the year, usually when the area where they live enters a heavy rainfall pattern. Abundant rainfall provides an ample source of food and also allows the exponential growth of nutritional resources. This special breeding season is adapted to the advantages of abundant resources. Females reach sexual maturity at 4 years old, and the gestation period is usually between 163 and 165 days, with one baby born per year. From birth, female monkeys carry their offspring tightly on their bodies. They care for their young for about a year until they are fully weaned and independent. Their lifespan in captivity is about 11-13 years.

Although the green monkey is listed as a pest in some distribution areas, landowners shoot it because it raids crops, and its meat is also found to be sold in markets in some areas. However, due to its large number, there is no major threat in the distribution area. Green monkeys are common parasites. The most common in wild green monkeys are protozoan parasites and worms, which are the biggest troubles facing green monkeys.

Listed in the 2008 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver 3.1 - Least Concern (LC).

Listed in the CITES Appendix II protected animals of the Washington Convention.

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