# Common patas monkey (*Erythrocebus patas*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-patas-monkey  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) is a primate in the family Cercopithecidae, subfamily Cercopithecinae. It is a medium-sized, diurnal, terrestrial herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 8.09 kg, and our sources report adult weights from 5.485 to 11.42 kg. It has one young per litter and one litter per year after a gestation period of 167.2 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 3.3 years. The IUCN lists it as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 23.9 years, with values up to 28.3 years reported.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.49 kg – 11.4 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 23.9 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 28.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 167 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.68 years – 3.83 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Primates
- family: Cercopithecidae
- genus: Erythrocebus
- species: *Erythrocebus patas* (Schreber, 1774)

Synonyms: *Cercopithecus circumcinctus*, *Cercopithecus kerstingi*, *Cercopithecus patas albosignatus*, *Cercopithecus patas poliomystax*, *Cercopithecus patas sannio*, *Cercopithecus ruber*, *Erythrocebus kerstingi*, *Erythrocebus langheldi*, *Erythrocebus whitei*, *Erythrocebus zechi*, *Simia ruber albo-fasciatus*, *Simia ruber albofasciatus*, *Simia ruber nigro-fasciatus*, *Simia ruber nigrofasciatus*, *Simia rubra*, *Simia rufa*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common patas monkey?

The common patas monkey is a primate, a mammal in the family Cercopithecidae. It is a medium-sized, diurnal, terrestrial species.

### What is the scientific name of the common patas monkey and who named it?

Its scientific name is Erythrocebus patas, with the authority written as (Schreber, 1774).

### How heavy is a common patas monkey?

Its representative adult body mass is 8.09 kg. Our sources report adult weights from 5.485 to 11.42 kg.

### What does the common patas monkey eat?

The common patas monkey is a herbivore.

### Is the common patas monkey endangered?

No. The IUCN lists it as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a common patas monkey live?

Its lifespan is given as 23.9 years, with values up to 28.3 years reported by our sources.

### How many young does the common patas monkey have?

It has one young per litter and one litter per year, after a gestation period of 167.2 days.

### What other names does the common patas monkey have?

Other English names are Patas, Nisnas, Patas monkey, Hussar monkey and Military monkey.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-patas-monkey