Chlorocebus pygerythrus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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 →
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
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Werribee Open Range Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Serengeti Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Ecological Center of Sonora | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Карельский зоопарк | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Zoo de Lubumbashi | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | |
| 9 | Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara (BICA) | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Zoológico la pastroa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Fresno Chaffee Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Paphos Zoo | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 13 | Monkeyland | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Giraffe House | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | Zoo Boise | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Monkey Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 18 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 19 | African Safari World | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 20 | Karelian Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 21 | Snake House | 🇵🇰 Pakistan |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Vervet Monkey sighting in Lake Manyara National Park on a given day, based on 86 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Vervet Monkey in Lake Manyara National Park on a given day, against about 40% in April, the lowest month. Those are among Lake Manyara National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in April.
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.
4th of 36
Of the 36 parks where we can rate Vervet Monkey sightings, Lake Manyara National Park ranks 4th at about 70%. The best odds are in Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 80%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 70%) and Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Cercopithecidae
The closest relatives of the Vervet Monkey that you can see in Lake Manyara National Park (family Cercopithecidae, Old World Monkeys) are Olive Baboon (about 80%) and Blue Monkey (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Vervet Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Lake Manyara National Park (86 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
