Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Chlorocebus pygerythrus

Silhouette: PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Dar es-Salaam

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

16 Verified sightings at Dar es-Salaam
2,986 In all 36 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Vervet Monkey

The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus. The five distinct subspecies can be found mostly throughout Southern Africa, as well as some of the eastern countries. These mostly herbivorous monkeys have black faces and grey body hair color, ranging in body length from about 40 cm (16 in) for females, to about 50 cm (20 in) for males.

In addition to behavioral research on natural populations, vervet monkeys serve as a nonhuman primate model for understanding genetic and social behaviors of humans. They have been noted for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension, anxiety, and social and dependent alcohol use. Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10 to 70 individuals, with males moving to other groups at the time of sexual maturity. Studies done on vervet monkeys involve their communication and alarm calls, specifically in regard to kin and group recognition, and particular predator sightings.

The vervet monkey was previously classified as Cercopithecus aethiops, now renamed 'grivet... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:52

Botswana · 2023

© Marc Anderson · XC1039879 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:23

Tanzania · 2011

© Stein Ø. Nilsen · XC961507 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:21

Botswana · 2020

© Dewald du Plessis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~80%
2 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~70%
3 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~70%
4 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~70%
5 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~70%
6 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
7 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~60%
8 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
9 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~60%
10 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
11 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~50%
12 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~50%
13 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
14 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~50%
15 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~50%
16 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
17 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~50%
18 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~40%
19 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
20 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
21 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
22 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
23 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~40%
24 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
25 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
26 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
27 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
28 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
29 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
30 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
31 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~30%
32 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~30%
33 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
34 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
35 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
36 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~80%
2 Lilongwe 🇲🇼 Malawi
~80%
3 Dar es-Salaam 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
4 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
5 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
~40%
6 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
7 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 San Diego Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Werribee Open Range Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
3 Serengeti Park 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Ecological Center of Sonora 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
6 Wildlife World Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Карельский зоопарк 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
8 Zoo de Lubumbashi 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa In captivity
9 Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara (BICA) 🇧🇷 Brazil In captivity
10 Zoológico la pastroa 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
11 Fresno Chaffee Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Paphos Zoo 🇨🇾 Cyprus In captivity
13 Monkeyland 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
14 Giraffe House 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
15 Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Centre 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
16 Zoo Boise 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
17 Monkey Town 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
18 Birds of Eden 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
19 African Safari World 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
20 Karelian Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
21 Snake House 🇵🇰 Pakistan In captivity

Closest Relatives at Dar es-Salaam

No species of the same family or order lives in Dar es-Salaam, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Vervet Monkey in Dar es-Salaam?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Vervet Monkey sighting in Dar es-Salaam on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Vervet Monkey in Dar es-Salaam?

April and May

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Vervet Monkey in Dar es-Salaam on a given day, against about 10% in January–February, August–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among Dar es-Salaam's wettest months, with about 200 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Vervet Monkey?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Vervet Monkey sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Dar es-Salaam the best place to see a Vervet Monkey?

3rd of 7

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Vervet Monkey sightings, Dar es-Salaam ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Mombasa (Kenya, about 80%) and Lilongwe (Malawi, about 80%).

Where does the Vervet Monkey sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Vervet Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Dar es-Salaam (16 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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