Vervet Monkeys

This small, black-faced monkey is common in East Africa as it adapts easily to many environments and is widely distributed.

There are several subspecies of vervet monkeys, but generally the body is a greenish-olive or silvery-gray. The face, ears, hands, feet and tip of the tail are black, but a conspicuous white band on the forehead blends in with the short whiskers.

In East Africa these monkeys can live in mountain areas up to about 13,000 feet, but they do not inhabit rain forests or deserts. Their preferred habitat is acacia woodland along streams, rivers and lakes. They are diurnal, sleeping and eating in trees from which they seldom venture.  This information is taken from www.awf.org

At Cub Creek Science Camp we have a Vervet monkey named Abu.  Abu was hand raised by Lori and our full time staff are all part of his family.  He is very active and loves to play.  He can jump from long distances and rarely if ever falls.  He is very curious and loves to get new toys.  Vervet Monkeys have cheek pouches that they use to carry things.  When he takes something he is not suppose to have, he will hide it in his cheek pouch and Lori must be very stern with him to get it back.  He is great fun during Summer Camp for campers to watch and learn about.  He is a non-contact animal housed in the Animal Learning Center Habitat area of the ranch.  He may be petted if held by one of the staff.  Lori often takes him around the ranch to visit campers during Summer Science Camp.

More information on Vervet Monkeys