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AMPHIBIANS:
Pac Man Frog
BIRDS:
Chickens
Cockatoo, Sulfer Crested
Chinese Geese
Ducks
Helmeted Guinea Fowl
Macaw, Blue & Yellow
Miniature Macaw
Parrot, Amazon
MAMMALS:
Black Bear
Bobcat
Capuchin, Black & White
Coati Mundis
Cougar
Deer, Fallow
Ferrets
Goat (Pygmy)
Hedgehog
Lemur, Ringtailed
Leopard, black
Liger
Lion (African)
Lion (Barbary)
Macaque, Java
Macaque, Snow
Marmoset
Pig
Sheep
Tiger (Bengal)
Tiger (Siberian)
Vervet
Wolves
Zebra
REPTILES:
Alligator
Anaconda
Bearded Dragon
Boa, Columbian
California King Snake
Corn Snake
Iguana
Lizard, African Plated
Python, Burmese
Python, Reticulated
Python, Royal
Skink, Blue Tongue
Tortoise, Spurred
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| Vervet
(Green Monkey) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Stocky,
green guenon. HBL 46-66 cm (18-26"). Weight 3.5-4.5 kg (7 1/4
to 10 pounds). Usually yellowish to olive green coat with white underparts
and gray lower limbs. Face black with white cheek-tufts and browband.
Both sexes have long, sharp canines.
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| GEOGRAPHICAL
RANGE AND HABITAT: |
The
most widespread African guenon (there are up to 20 subspecies), occurring
throughout the Northern and Southern Savanna, from Senegal to Sudan
and south to the tip of South Africa. Adapted to practically all wooded
habitats outside the equatorial rain forest. Being small and not a
fast runner, this monkey cannot afford to venture far from the safety
of trees. It is essentially an edge species and typically associated
with riverine forest; in the dry savanna, they stay near the acacias.
Colonies have been established on St. Kitts, Nevis, and the Barbados
Islands in the West Indies-probably descended from pets.
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| DIET: |
| Opportunistic
omnivore which takes what is most abundant and available. Fruits,
flowers, seeds, seedpods, leaves, grasses, and roots. On occasion,
birds, eggs, small reptiles and insects
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| LIFE
CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE: |
Diurnal;
most active in early morning and late afternoon. Territorial, but
generally avoid serious conflicts (defend with loud barking and displays).
Mainly ground dwellers, but take shelter in the trees when alarmed
and sleep in trees. Usually found in groups of 20-50. Social structure
is similar to other Old World monkeys in that the stable core of any
group consists of several families of closely related adult females
and their dependent offspring. Females stay in the natal group; males
transfer to a neighboring group at adolescence. To minimize aggression
from the transferred-to group, many males transfer in the company
of age mates or maternal brothers. Males transfer groups several times
during their lives. Sub adult females reciprocate their mother's grooming,
join her in the formation of alliances, and serve as temporary caretakers
of their mother's subsequent offspring. As a result, bonds are formed
not only between mother and offspring but also among maternal siblings.
Adult males interact only rarely with infants and show no special
preference for those infants that are likely to be their offspring.
High-ranking males are unable to maintain exclusive access to females
around the time of ovulation, so paternity is uncertain. Infants acquire
the rank of their mother's family. Older females maintain and acquire
their dominance rank not by size or aggressiveness, but by size of
their family and/or alliances formed. Male dominance rank is acquired
by size, strength, and other determinants of fighting ability and
is much less stable than female dominance rank.
Guenons breed throughout the year, but most births are concentrated
just before the rainy season, so that lactation proceeds when food
and water are more abundant. Gestation lasts 163 days. They reach
sexual maturity at the age of 4-5 years. Record life span in the wild
is 17 years; up to 30 years in captivity
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| SPECIAL
ADAPTATIONS: |
| The
tail is well developed and used for balance. They are good swimmers..
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| INTERPRETIVE
INFORMATION: |
| Also
known as vervets or grass monkeys. They have a creaking cry and
a staccato bark that enables members of a troop to keep in contact.
They have a variety of alarm calls, distinguishing between avian,
snake or mammalian predators. Grooming removes parasites, but the
primary function is to establish and maintain social bonds. It is
most common among family members, but is also considered a means
to form alliances with non-kin and to strive for higher status
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| STATUS
IN WILD: |
| Although
some species of guenons are listed as endangered or vulnerable,
C. sabaeus is not, but numbers are declining because of destruction
of forest habitat and excessive hunting by people
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| Special
thanks to the Oakland Zoo website where most of this data was obtained.
Please visit them at http://www.oaklandzoo.org |
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