During a break in the recent rainy weather vervet monkeys gathered on the roof of our carport and garage to rest, huddle, groom and play. The new babies take pride of place.
Even though they knew I was there, the barrier of glass in the window meant that the vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus pygerythrus) could tolerate me and the camera lens prying on them. Taking photos through the glass and using the zoom lens means that these are not the sharpest of photos, but the subjects are interesting and to my eye charming.

These two mothers (above), were each holding a baby close as they huddled together, apparently sharing some warmth on the cool morning. The tails of the babies are visible protruding from the cover of their mothers.

While they were huddling another monkey approached them and released the baby she was carrying enough for it to be able to peep over the roof in my direction. It seemed it was aware of my presence at the distant window.

Two adults are grooming one of the three very young babies. Adult and juvenile monkeys, especially females, often approach mothers with babies, sometimes grooming the mother so as to get a chance to touch or cuddle the baby.

Above another mother is being groomed by a younger monkey. She is totally relaxed enjoying the moment but still keeping gentle control of her baby who is also very relaxed.

After a while she stood up and slung her baby under her while the grooming session continued. Even at a young age baby vervets are able to cling onto their mothers’ fur with their hands and feet sometimes curving the tail around one of the mother’s hind legs and hanging on tight when their mother stands or moves around.

When the grooming session ended both monkeys turned their attention to the baby – and here they are both grooming the baby’s tail.

It is not only monkeys with babies that are groomed. Above a juvenile strikes a rather acrobatic pose while enjoying being groomed. Grooming among monkeys is as much about building and maintaining social relationships as it is about cleaning the fur or removing any parasites.

Above a group of juvenile age mates take a break from playing for a short grooming session.

And above a juvenile makes a ‘play face’ and invites other youngsters to another bout of playing on the roof.

The invitation to play was accepted with enthusiasm. Play involves frolicking about with bouts of chasing and wrestling. Sometimes playmates mouth each other and the mouth is often held open during play.

An adult (on the left) became briefly involved in the play while three others including a mother cuddling her baby watch from the side lines.

Play continued with the babe-in-arms taking an interest in watching proceedings. This particular mother spent a long time cuddling her baby.

It was very touching to see how this mother cuddled her baby so tenderly. In addition to expressing protective affection perhaps she was also trying to keep the baby warm on such a cool morning.

The bond between a vervet mother and an infant baby is very close. Sometimes a young female, likely an older sister or half-sister to the baby, will take turns looking after a young baby in a process known as allo-mothering. Not only does this assistance benefit the mother but it also gives the young non-mother experience in looking after and carrying infants, which will stand her in good stead when she is old enough to have a baby of her own when she is four or five years old.

It was lovely to see a monkey we have named Miss Tippy with her new baby. Miss Tippy has been with this troop for several years. We gave her the name because she carries her head tipped awkwardly to the side in a fixed position as if she has had a neck injury that has affected the mobility of her neck. She seems to be a fairly high-ranking female. Generally female monkeys stay with their natal group all their lives, but young males disperse from the troops usually with an age mate when they reach sexual maturity around the age of five years.

I was also pleased to see a young monkey we have named Bobtail on account of her missing tail. We first noticed the lack of tail when she was only a few months old over a year ago but could see no signs of recent injury. She has survived into her second year despite the lack of a tail that plays an important role in balance such as when a monkey is jumping, running or climbing.
We feel very privileged to be able to watch (albeit somewhat surreptitiously) the vervet monkeys going about their business – foraging, resting, playing and raising their babies – in our neighbourhood.
Sources:
Ramulondi, Evah. 2014. Vervet Monkey. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). https://www.sanbi.org/animal-of-the-week/vervet-monkey/; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance 2021.Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) Fact Sheet: Behavior & Ecology. https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/vervet/behavior
Posted by Carol

November 15, 2022 at 12:21 am
Oh! How utterly charming and delightful. I’d be willing to trade you our quail families to be able to watch these charming little critters. How amazing to watch them play and groom and most of all care for the wee ones. I bet you spend quite a bit of time watching them (and photographing and sharing with us… thank you for that!) What a treasure you have there!
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November 17, 2022 at 7:31 pm
Hi Gunta
They are a delight to watch. They are often camera-shy so most photos I have of them are taken through windows. I wish I had more time to watch them. They are so interesting and diverting and I learn a lot from watching their interactions.
Best wishes from a damp and soggy part of the country.
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November 18, 2022 at 8:55 pm
Our quail covey are also camera shy so that nearly all of my photos of them are through glass, but being able to watch their antics and behavior is enough of a treat that I don’t mind.
Best wishes to you, too… as we head into our stormy season. It’s a real treat after the dry summer, but likely will get a bit old or stale in a month or two… 😉
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November 21, 2022 at 7:07 pm
Your quails are lovely and its great the windows act as a ‘hide’. I hope your storms bring needed rain but nothing too dramatic.
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November 5, 2022 at 5:46 am
Great photos, Carol, and great descriptions of what’s going on. How wonderful to be able to watch these lovely interactions.
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November 14, 2022 at 7:40 pm
Thanks Graham – yes it is wonderful to watch them – interesting and often most endearing too.
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November 4, 2022 at 8:23 pm
Oh gosh, how adorable that baby is, and its mother cuddling it, keeping baby warm 😍😍😍😍
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November 14, 2022 at 7:36 pm
The babies in particular are most endearing and the mother’s cuddles are just so sweet and protective. Very touching to see!
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November 4, 2022 at 6:32 pm
Thank you for sharing your ‘front row seat’ with us. Fascinating footage which is indeed charming.
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November 14, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Thanks Mariss. They certainly do have a lot of charm.
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November 4, 2022 at 11:07 am
What joy these monkeys must bring as you watch them. They certainly brought me joy as an observer once removed. Remarkable photos, Carol, thank you so much for sharing.
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November 4, 2022 at 1:57 pm
Hi Sandra – yes they do bring us much joy and I am so happy to have been able to share that with you via these photos. We would be a lot poorer without the presence of these lovely animals.
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November 4, 2022 at 8:50 am
What a charming post. It’s a much-needed moment of delight and fascination in an increasingly brutal world. I expect you get nothing else done while the vervet monkeys are out to play!
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November 4, 2022 at 1:56 pm
Hi Margaret
Yes the world seems to be increasingly brutal and depressing. The monkeys can be such a delightful distraction. In fact I don’t watch them as often as perhaps I should, but that morning the overcast skies and the presence of infants inspired me to get the camera and spend some time watching them. Time well spent!
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November 4, 2022 at 3:01 pm
Definitely. Thanks for sharing these moments.
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November 4, 2022 at 7:01 am
Dear Carol this is an enchantingly lovely post! So wonderful to see monkeys unharried and enjoying their lives, thank you! xxx
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November 4, 2022 at 1:53 pm
Hi Christeen – how nice to hear from you. I have been wondering how you are with your move. Perhaps I should email you?
I wish more people gave monkeys a break so they can see how lovely they are when they relax and do their thing without being chased or shouted at.
xxx
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November 6, 2022 at 6:18 am
Hi Carol! Thank you for your message! We’ve now been here one month, so much has happened, it feels like a lifetime ago, and just yesterday… We are gradually getting settled. I would love to communicate more fully, I am wary of putting my address here in a public forum. Perhaps you could find my address on Christeen Grant Creative Arts? Then I can reply from there. xxx
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November 14, 2022 at 7:45 pm
Hi Christeen – I will do so later in the week.
Thanks and best wishes.
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November 4, 2022 at 2:45 am
Just remarkable. A privilege indeed!
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November 4, 2022 at 1:51 pm
Thanks Carol – they are remarkable and very entertaining and endearing to watch. Absolutely a privilege and a pleasure to have them trust us enough to relax in our garden.
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November 4, 2022 at 2:22 am
Such characters! A parent’s love and protection is beautiful and irreplaceable everywhere
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November 4, 2022 at 1:44 pm
Yes they are real characters. It is very true what you say about parental care and devotion. Sometimes I think we could learn a thing or two about parenting from other primates!
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November 4, 2022 at 2:29 pm
Good point, I’ve seen better parenting from animals, as well as insects than by some humans.
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November 4, 2022 at 3:11 pm
Sadly true!
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November 4, 2022 at 1:53 am
Your photographs and accompanying commentary are a joy to look at and to read.
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November 4, 2022 at 1:42 pm
Thank you so much Anne. We get a lot of enjoyment from observing the monkeys going about their business.
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November 3, 2022 at 10:49 pm
A delightful photo series, Carol. What a privilege to live amongst these beautiful primates, observing their habits and growth over the years. Thanks so much for sharing!
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November 4, 2022 at 1:41 pm
Thank you Eliza – yes indeed it is a privilege – I wish everyone saw it this way! It has been interesting following the development of the group and even of some individuals over time. There have been some real characters.
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November 3, 2022 at 10:48 pm
Oh, just wonderful! The babies especially are so precious. About the ones that you named, and return to you: Are they less scared of you, because they are used to being in your area? Thanks for posting this. It brightened up my day!
-Julie
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November 4, 2022 at 3:02 am
They would be endlessly fascinating to watch.
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November 4, 2022 at 1:52 pm
Absolutely – it can be totally engrossing and such fun too!
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November 4, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Hi Julie – I am glad the vervets were cheering. We are on the foraging path of this group of monkeys, They are wary rather than scared but are fairly relaxed in our garden because we give them the space to do their thing. However, they don’t like being stared at nor do they like a camera being pointed at them. They are fine with occasional glances and if we sort of ignore them then they sort of ignore us, but photographing them works best through a window.
Many people are very hostile to monkeys and because they are very observant the monkeys seem able to work out their best options. On the occasions when we have got a new dog or a new tenant we see the monkeys group together in the trees to observe and carefully assess the new arrival and figure things out going forward.
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November 4, 2022 at 10:30 pm
Sounds like the vervets are very intelligent to figure out the people around them!
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November 14, 2022 at 7:39 pm
For sure they are very intelligent, and their survival depends on them being able to discriminate between friends and foes, especially the human variety!
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