19 December 2007

V for Vervet Monkey

Unfortunately the Vervet Monkeys I recently photographed were not very cooperative so the quality is not the best, but I am sure you will get the picture.

Vervet monkeys are found throughout the country. Their preferred habitat is acacia woodland along streams, rivers and lakes. They can be very entertaining to watch as they are always on the go and very family oriented






They are diurnal, sleeping and eating in trees from which they seldom venture. When they do, they rarely venture more than 500 yards from the trees, since they are vulnerable to a variety of predators.





They seem to possess what can be called the "rudiments of language". Vervet Monkey alarm calls vary greatly depending on the different types of threats to the community. There are distinct calls to warn of invading leopards, snakes, and eagles.



In South Africa we often refer to a particular shade of blue as, "monkey ball blue". No prizes for guessing why.




Vervets are also very athletic. This guy was demonstrating his tight rope walking skills on a telephone line outside Port Elizabeth.




The mainly vegetarian diet is supplemented with insects, eggs, baby birds and sometimes rodents and hares. Vervets can become terrible pests, when living around human habitaion often raiding gardens and kitchens for whatever suits their pallets.

23 comments:

dot said...

Great post for "V" and you really got some V words into that one sentence. Very funny at the "end" also. LOL. What interesting animals they are!

Oswegan said...

He looks like a velvet monkey.

I know how he must feel with those blue balls too.

If I had balls like that, I'd be showing them to the camera too.

~Oswegan

photowannabe said...

Very interesting and informative V post. I do like the tightrope walking monkey against the sunset.

roentare said...

Wow, beautiful!! Love the last shot, artistic

Gerald (SK14) said...

The tight-rope walker is the winner - that is a very informative post thank you.

Andrea said...

Very interesting "V" post. He is a cutie.

Jim Baker said...

man... in my backyard i have to take pictures of squirrels... i wish I had monkeys living in my backyard.

jim baker

Digital Flower Pictures said...

Wow you sure have some neat plants and animals down there.

Anonymous said...

Carnivore monkeys, and here i was thinking gee they are cute, i want one.
On second thoughts......

Neva said...

What a great post....I enjoy seeing your part of the world! We are up to our knees in snow and ice... many years we have no snow for Christmas....go figure!

Pete M said...

As Elvis sang, too much monkey business for me to get involved with

Rune Eide said...

Don't complain about the quality of the pictures - good work just to get them. You have in addition taught me about an animal I didn't even know existed!

myonlyphoto said...

Hi Max, hope you doing well, and thanks for this post. The only encounter of these monkeys is at our local zoo we travel too. But thank you for the name, because I really have hard time to track the names, when I am engaged into heavy photography, lol. Love the last silhoutte photo, great shot. Anna :)

NYCindividual said...

ooo... I love the last one against the sky, but they're all good!

I just joined ABC Wednesday and thought I would stop by.

Lilli & Nevada said...

that is a great post, i would like to know why the blue balls tho. LOL..
Great post

kml said...

Very interesting post! They look like they are everywhere - even in the city.

tatiana blanco said...

Nice blog, congrat

Lynette said...

Well, I've got to say that the laugh you gave Mama and me with the "monkey ball blue" bit is most appreciated! Flat Stanley says to tell you that he has not yet dined at the VQ--I've been remiss--but that my showing him the monkey with the blue balls makes up for it--you know how little boys can be about body parts, right? I also want to thank you because now when anyone asks me what color Flat Stanley's scooter is, I can truthfully say monkey ball blue!

I am so glad that you're recovering so well; I enjoyed the fireworks photos and the kudu crossing the road appears so agile on its surprisingly delicate looking hooves.

Dave said...

That tight rope monkey photo was a great shot! Here in Canada we only see monkeys in a zoo. First time here. Nice blog!

bonnie said...

I feel so lucky to be able to stop in and visit in your life. When I went to South America, monkey was a delicacy. I didn't eat any.

Tom said...

Well Max I did laugh at Monkey ball blue... I will remember that colour now for sure.. ha!
I trust you are well my friend..:O)

Have a great Christmas Max.. I got quite emotional at this time after my 'Op'.. it's certainly times like this that bring it all home to you.
I wish you a truly fantastic Christmas, full of cheer and laughter and the love of a good women.. which I know you have... that's all that matters Max... you will be feeling better and stronger each day my friend..

from
Tom, Jane, and our friend Big Peter

myonlyphoto said...

Hi Max, hope all is well. Just visiting again, and since Xmas means being with family, blogging probably will not happen much for me. So I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and also healthy one. I know you will do just great, it make take time to heal, but your spirit and motivation will lead you in the right direction. I also want to thank you for exposing me more to Africa and helping me identifying some species which I only have an opportunity to see at the zoo. Your visits, your comments and your lovely posts are always appreciated. All the best, Anna :)

Anonymous said...

that is a great post......!!