| Patas monkey[1] | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Cercopithecinae |
| Tribe: | Cercopithecini |
| Genus: | Erythrocebus Trouessart, 1897 |
| Species: | E. patas |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythrocebus patas (Schreber, 1775) |
|
| Geographic range | |
The patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas), also known as the Wadi monkey or Hussar monkey, is a ground-dwelling monkey distributed over semi-arid areas of West Africa, and into East Africa. It is the only species classified in the genus Erythrocebus. Recent phylogenetic evidence indicates that it is the closest relative of the vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops), suggesting nomenclatural revision.
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The patas monkey grows to 85 cm (33 in) in length, excluding the tail, which measures 75 cm (30 in). Adult males are considerably larger than adult females. Reaching speeds of 55 km/h (34 mph), it is the fastest runner among the primates.[3]
The patas monkey lives in multi-female groups of up to 60 individuals (although much larger aggregations have been reported). There is a weak dominance rank. The group contains just one adult male for most of the year.[4] During the breeding season, there are multi-male influxes into the group. Once juvenile males reach sexual maturity (around the age of 4 years old) they leave the group, usually joining all-male groups. The adult females in the group initiate movement of the group with the male following their lead.[4]
The patas monkey avoids dense woodlands and lives in more open savanna and semi-deserts. The patas monkey has a remarkably high reproductive rate, perhaps as an evolutionary response to the high adult mortality rates associated with this strongly terrestrial lifestyle.[5]
The patas monkey feeds on insects, gum, seeds, and tubers, a diet more characteristic of much smaller primates.[6]
There is some confusion surrounding the number of valid subspecies, with some listing four,[7] and others listing two; the western Erythrocebus patas patas (Common Patas; with a black nose) and the eastern Erythrocebus patas pyrrhonotus (Nisnas; with a white nose). Others, however, have suggested that at least some of the features used to separate these subspecies merely are variations in the female's facial pattern during pregnancy.[1] On the other hand, the change in the nose during pregnancy occurs only in the West African populations.