The days are getting colder as winter approaches, so how are the monkeys keeping warm? In the mornings as the sun rises, the monkeys can often be caught sun-basking.
This involves them sitting and facing the sun, exposing their bellies and letting the heat of the sun warm them up! This is always fun to watch and almost looks like meditation or monkey yoga at times. But when they sit in the tops of the trees and catch the first rays of sunshine and we researchers are stuck in the shade the last laugh is on us.
At night, the monkeys often huddle in small groups, and they fluff up their fur, trapping insulating air for warmth. The more family members or social partners a vervet has the better and warmer they are. A morning sun-bask and cuddles at night – the vervets seem to be on to something!
Until next time
Lucy and the Verveteers
The Vervet Monkey research project is a collaboration between a number of international universities. The project has been based at Samara Private Game Reserve in the Great Karoo since 2008. The aim of the project is to investigate the adaptations of these fascinating monkeys to climatic changes.
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