Erythrocebus patas
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The common patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), also known as the hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. There is some confusion surrounding if there are valid subspecies, with some listing four, others three, and others listing two: the western Erythrocebus patas patas (with a black nose) and the eastern E. patas pyrrhonotus (with a white nose). However, it was later discovered that the nose colour used to separate these subspecies could change to white during pregnancy in females, as well as in general as animals aged, and E. patas pyrrhonotus in Kenya often did not have white noses, thus Mammal Species of the World has classified E. patas as a monotypic species.
The genus status of the species has previously been in flux. Colin Groves first argued the species was closely related to Cercopithecus aethiops in 1989, based on anatomical morphology. Phylogenetic evidence from 2003 appeared to validate him, finding the patas monkey to form a clade within the vervet genus Cercopithecus together with C. aethiops and C. lhoesti, and based on this study Erythrocebus was proposed to be sunk into synonymy... Wikipedia →
Uncertain0:25
Uganda · 2025
© Bernard BOUSQUET · XC1061249 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Patas Monkey sighting in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, based on 155 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 23 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, March and June–September
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Patas Monkey in Murchison Falls National Park on a given day, against about 50% in April, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Patas 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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Patas Monkey sightings, Murchison Falls National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 70%).
Same family: Cercopithecidae
The closest relatives of the Patas Monkey that you can see in Murchison Falls National Park (family Cercopithecidae, Old World Monkeys) are Olive Baboon (about 60%), Mantled Guereza (about 50%) and Tantalus Monkey (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Patas Monkey is recorded against all the mammals logged in Murchison Falls National Park (155 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.
