Foraging ecology of the vervet monkey (chlorocebus aethiops) in mixed lowveld bushveld and sour lowveld bushveld of the blydeberg conservancy, Northern Province, South Africa

Abstract

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) are versatile primates of the suborder HAPLORHINI, family CERCOPITHECIDAE, subfamily CERCOPITHECINAE, and genus Chlorocebus (Skinner & Smithers, 1990). They are a widely distributed species that adapt easily to a variety of environments, occurring throughout the Northern and Southern Savanna, from Senegal to Sudan and south to the tip of Southern Africa (Estes, 1992).

According to Estes (1992), vervets are opportunistic omnivores. being predominantly vegetarians that live on wild fruits, flowers, leaves, buds, seeds, pods, sap, roots and tubers. Occasionally they will feed on invertebrates (grubs, termites, grasshoppers) and vertebrates (bird and reptile eggs and chicks) (Skinner & Smithers, 1990).

Not much ecological research has been done on vervets outside the tropics to date, and it was thus considered necessary to determine how vervets cope with the effects of temperate area seasonality.

The aim of this study was to describe the habitat structure of a vervet monkey troop's territory and then to investigate the effects of seasonality on differences in their diet (both overall and with respect to sex differences). activity patterns and habitat utilisation.