Hi, my name is John and I’m one of the newest members of verveteers, joining the team in January.

One of the most interesting things I have noticed so far about female vervet monkeys is their allomothering behaviour; whereby the welfare of an infant is not only met by their mother, but often, and enthusiastically, by other females within the group.

There are a number of theories as to why allomothering occurs  among female vervet monkeys. These include, for example, i) a female can practice their mothering skills to benefit their own future offspring, ii) a mother (whose infant is being allomothered) benefits from increased foraging time, and, iii) the allomothered infant gains more protection.

I have attached a photo of an infant (named Dent) being allomothered by young adult female (Tyvara) in Picnic group.

Cheers
John (and the verveteers)