Comments On: patas monkeys

Friday I finally got a copy of "The Pictorial Guide To The Living Primates". I had ordered the hard cover over a month ago but the book store ordered the soft cover which cost $59.95. Which is okay by me. The first thing I had to do was look up Patas Monkeys because my Internet search for information on them was not very successful. I do have the Corel CD of "Apes" which has several pictures of Patas Monkeys some that are out there on the web. What got my interest peaked on Patas Monkeys was a post on Robin's "Monkeymaddness" that asked about information on the Patas Monkey.
So my note today is what I discovered about Patas Monkeys from my new book. In doing so if you haven't gotten your own copy this might interest you in doing so. Sorry I can't share the lovely pictures like I have with Trouble.
Patas Monkey Erthrocebus patas
Taxonomy Disputed. 4 subspecies. The genus name was changed in 1970.
Distinguishing Characteristics Patas monkeys are large and have long slender limbs. The back and sides are reddish brown, and the underparts are grayish white. The face varies from black to light gray, with a white mustache. Males have a bright blue scrotum.
Physical Characteristics Head and body length: Female 490mm [19.3in], male 600-875mm [23.6-34.4in]. Tail length: Female 490mm [19.3], { "This confused me. Could be a typo error tail length same as body and tail length."} male 621mm (430-724) [24.4in (16.9-28.5)] Weight: Female 4.0-7.0kg [8.8-15lb], male 7.o-13.0kg [15.4-28.7lb]. Intermembral Index: 92. Adult brain weight: 106.6g [3.8oz]. Females are half the size of males.
Habitat Acacia woodland, savanna with marked dry season
Diet Fruits, seeds, grass, and animal prey, including insects, lizards, and bird eggs. The highest percentage of the diet is from Acacia tree parts; the lowest is from grasses. Patas monkeys will eat prickly pear cactus (opuntia), which has been introduced to Kenya. They need to drink daily.
Life History Infant: 0-12mo. Weaning: 12mo. Subadult: Male 12-60mo, female 12-30mo. Sexual maturity: Female 36mo, male 48mo. Estrus cycle: 30d. Gestration: 167d. Age 1st birth: 36mo (25-46). Birth interval: 11.8mo (7.3-23.1). Life span: 21.6y. Mating season: Variable (during the wet season). Birth season: Variable (during the driest months). Females have no estrous swellings. Birth occurs during the day. The infant's weight is 6% of the mother's weight. Infants are black until 2 months old. Females are first sexually receptive at 18 months but do not breed until age 3.
Locomotion Quadrupedal. Patas monkeys are the fastest in the primate world and have been clocked at 55km per hour [34mi/h]. They walk on their fingers (digitigrade), not on the flat of their hands (palmigrade).
Social Structure 1 male-multifemale groups. Females lead the group, and additional males may flood the group during mating season. Males are not territorial and rarely join the female boundary disputes. A resident male will chase lone males and all-male groups. Territorial ranges overlap 44-58%. Emigration: Females remain in their natal group; males leave at 3. Group size: 5-34. Home range: 3200-5300ha to 8000. Day range: 4330m (700-11,800) [14,207ft (2297-38,716)].
Behavior Diurnal, mostly terrestrial. Partially arboreal. The resident male patas monkey watches vigilantly for predators and other males. "He reacts to any disturbance by bouncing noisily on bushes and trees and running away from the group, thereby diverting attention from them." During dry seasons in Cameroon, several patas groups share the same watering hole. The female defense of the group involves aggression and long chases. The strategy for avoiding predators is vigilance, hiding, and rabid flight. There is very little social grooming. Female infants are allomothered by adult females significantly more than males infants, which are peripheralized and play with other males. Mating; Patas monkeys have single mount matings. "Sex is initiated by the female, who crouches in front of the male." and puffs out her cheeks. Vocalizations" "Patas monkeys are very silent." A male barks when males from other groups are encountered. The alarm call and response for dogs and jackals are different from those for feline predators. The former call is a low chatter followed by flight into the woodland; the call for feline predators is a loud 2-phase bark in the predator's direction, and the troop moves up the trees. Males and females have different alarm calls. Sleeping site: During the day a troop may rest in the shade of a tree. Each adult sleeps in a separate tree. Patas monkeys do not sleep in the same tree two nights in a row.
Brad and Trouble
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