Patas Monkey (Erythrocebus patas) lives in open savanna across Sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on grass and seeds. Its conservation status is Near Threatened.
Fascinating facts about the Patas Monkey
- Zooming at 55 km/h (34 mph), the patas monkey outruns every other primate, turning savanna chases into sprint races. Males grow to 60-87 cm long and weigh 12.4 kg, while females average 49 cm and 6.5 kg, a stark size gap. Their lightning-fast legs let them dart across open ground to escape predators and to cover vast foraging circuits each day.
- Patas troops trek farther than any other monkey of their size, logging daily walks of about 4.3 km (±1.5 km) and defending home ranges that span roughly 3,200 hectares. Their unrivaled travel distances and massive territories let them exploit scattered food patches across dry woodlands, but also demand constant vigilance against predators and rival groups. Such expansive ranging illustrates how a small-bodied primate can dominate a vast landscape by sheer stamina and mobility.
- When danger looms, patas monkeys unleash a suite of alarm calls that differ by caller and predator type, yet they rarely flee up trees. Instead, they sprint across the open ground, and on rare occasions individuals have even charged at jackals or wildcats. This ground-focused defense reflects their habitat's sparse canopy and showcases a bold, active strategy that relies on speed and collective warning rather than arboreal escape.
- A typical patas clan gathers up to 60 individuals, yet only one adult male holds the reins for most of the year. Remarkably, the females dictate when the troop moves, with the male trailing behind their lead.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa
HabitatOpen savanna
DietGrass and seeds
About the Patas Monkey
In the scorching savannas, the patas monkey emerges as a whirlwind of energy, its slender frame darting across the grasslands with an air of reckless abandon, as if defying the very notion of gravity. With each bound, its long legs devour the distance, propelling it forward with a fluidity that belies its incredible speed, a testament to the remarkable adaptability of this nimble primate. As it moves, the patas monkey's tawny coat shimmers like molten gold in the sunlight, a fleeting glimpse of beauty in the arid landscape.
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Patas Monkey photographed on Feravox
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