Vervet Cercopithecus Aethiops Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primata Family: Cercopithecidae Genus: Cercopithecus Species: Aethiops

Description

vervets vary in colour, but generally the body is a greenish olive or silvery grey. The face, ears, hands, feet and tip of the tail are black, but an obvious white band on the forehead blends in with the short whiskers. Males are slightly larger than females and are easily recognized by their turquoise blue scrota.

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Average Statistics

Length	18 to 26 inches
Weight	6 to 17 pounds
Geographic Range	Subsaharan Eastern Africa to South Africa. Woodlands, savannah and high plains. Their preferred habitat is acacia woodland along streams, rivers and lakes.

Diet

Omnivorous; Leaves and young shoots are most important, but bark, flowers, fruit, bulbs, roots and grass seeds are also eaten. The mainly vegetarian diet is supplemented with insects, eggs, baby birds and sometimes rodents and hares. They seldom drink water.

Offspring

The gestation period is 5? months

Relationship with Humans

Vervets are among the most used primates in biomedical research in the United States and abroad (Carlsson et al. 2004). Because they are small, easily handled, nonendangered, evolutionarily closely related to humans, and easily bred in captivity, vervets are a popular species for use in biomedical primate research

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