CreatureData

Vervet monkey

Chlorocebus pygerythrus (F. Cuvier, 1821)

LCLeast Concernprimates

The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) is a species in the family Cercopithecidae, order Primates. Recorded adults weigh 4.22 kg to 5.88 kg and live up to 30.4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the vervet monkey

Weight
4.22 kg – 5.88 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
30.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
46 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
168 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
3.61 years – 5 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Scansorialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the vervet monkey live?

Not recorded

What is the vervet monkey?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus. The five distinct subspecies can be found mostly throughout Southern Africa, as well as some of the eastern countries. These mostly herbivorous monkeys have black faces and grey body hair color, ranging in body length from about 40 cm (16 in) for females, to about 50 cm (20 in) for males.

In addition to behavioral research on natural populations, vervet monkeys serve as a nonhuman primate model for understanding genetic and social behaviors of humans. They have been noted for having human-like characteristics, such as hypertension, anxiety, and social and dependent alcohol use. Vervets live in social groups ranging from 10 to 70 individuals, with males moving to other groups at the time of sexual maturity. Studies done on vervet monkeys involve their communication and alarm calls, specifically in regard to kin and group recognition, and particular predator sightings.

From the Wikipedia article “Vervet monkey” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vervet_monkey&oldid=1384005838), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the vervet monkey endangered?

The vervet monkey is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the vervet monkey classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderPrimates
  5. familyCercopithecidae
  6. genusChlorocebus
  7. SpeciesChlorocebus pygerythrus (F. Cuvier, 1821)

Synonyms Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus, Cercopithecus faunus, Cercopithecus lalandii, Cercopithecus pygerithraeus, Cercopithecus pygerythrus, Simia pygerythra, Simia pygerythrus

Other names and names in other languages (28)
  • Green monkeyEnglish
  • VervetEnglish
  • BlouaapAfrikaans
  • سعدان الفرفتArabic
  • VervedBreton
  • kočkodan červenozelenýCzech
  • Grøn marekatDanish
  • Blaue AffeGerman
  • Südafrikanische GrünmeerkatzeGerman
  • Südliche GrünmeerkatzeGerman
  • VervetmeerkatzeGerman
  • Κοινό ΒέρβετGreek
  • Vervet OrientalSpanish
  • Le GrivetFrench
  • VervetFrench
  • Vervet BleuFrench
  • Cercopiteco verdeItalian
  • ベルベットモンキーJapanese
  • 버빗원숭이Korean
  • VervetapeNorwegian Bokmål
  • BlauwaapDutch
  • Zuid-Afrikaanse groene meerkatDutch
  • Kotawiec sawannowyPolish
  • Macaco-vervetPortuguese
  • ВерветкаRussian
  • Карликовая зелёная мартышкаRussian
  • KgaboTswana
  • ВерветаUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the vervet monkey

Other species in the same genus Chlorocebus.

LC, Least Concern
Grivet (Chlorocebus aethiops)

Grivet

Chlorocebus aethiops

Cercopithecidae

LC, Least Concern
Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)

Green monkey

Chlorocebus sabaeus

Cercopithecidae

LC, Least Concern
Malbrouck (Chlorocebus cynosuros)

Malbrouck

Chlorocebus cynosuros

Cercopithecidae

CompareVervet monkey vs GrivetVervet monkey vs Green monkeyVervet monkey vs Dryas monkeyVervet monkey vs Malbrouck

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the vervet monkey?

An adult vervet monkey weighs 4.22 kg – 5.88 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the vervet monkey endangered?

The vervet monkey is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the vervet monkey live?

The vervet monkey has a recorded lifespan of 30.4 years.

How long is the vervet monkey pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 168 days.

What kind of animal is the vervet monkey?

The vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) belongs to the family Cercopithecidae in the order Primates.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/vervet-monkey

MLA

“Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/vervet-monkey.

BibTeX
@misc{vervet_monkey_2026,
  title = {Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/vervet-monkey},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}