Vervet Monkey

This Vervet Monkey is distinguished by its grizzled grey-green coat, black face, and a white fringe of fur framing its brow. Males possess conspicuous bright blue scrotums that serve as a visual marker of social dominance within the troop. They are agile climbers that navigate acacia branches with ease.

Vervet monkeys are the primate most travelers in Uganda see up close, often around lodge grounds at Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park rather than deep in the forest. They are highly vocal, with distinct alarm calls for snakes, birds of prey, and ground predators, each one different enough that researchers can tell which threat triggered it. Keep food out of sight. A vervet that has learned where lodge kitchens are will not hesitate to take it.