Origin
The Hussar monkey (Erythrocebus patas) of the family Cercopithecidae, order Primates. It can be found in the equatorial savannas and forests of Western and Central Africa.
It inhabits the following countries: Tanzania, Senegal and Ethiopia. It is the largest member of the genus Cercopithecidae. Its closest relative is the vervet monkey.
The greatest feature of the hussar monkey is fugue. Can run at a speed of 55km/h.
It can be found both in our country and abroad or in the literature under the names: patas monkey, the Wadi monkey, the patas monkey or The Hussar monkey.
Like many animals and Apes The Hussar is endangered due to loss of natural habitat, excessive hunting, and trade. Over 1000 copies are sold annually as pets.
Feed The Hussar Monkey
The Food Of The Hussar monkey is quite diverse.
It is made up of herbs, seeds, fruits, various sweet and succulent plants, resins, and as appropriate and needs also serve the eggs of birds, insects or larvae of insects or lizards.
Appearance Hussar Monkey
The Hussar monkey has a length of 60-90cm, a weight of 5-13kg and a tail length of 45-75cm. He has an athletic build that maintains it by consuming his daily energy. The limbs are long. The body is covered by a reddish-brown fur on the back.
The limbs, face and half of the tail are white. Males are larger than females and have larger canines. Paws end with short fingers. Both sexes show a distinct white moustache.
Sexual dimorphism is obvious, the male is almost double the female.
Behavior Hussar Monkey
The Hussar monkey lives in groups of up to 50 individuals. The group is led by a male who protects the group in case of danger. It comes out in front of the prey animal while the rest of the group moves away or hides. They also have a few sounds that they use depending on activity or danger. Predators can be jackals or large wild cats.
It is an active animal in general, but especially in the morning and evening. In the middle of the day when the temperatures are high they rest on the branches of trees in the shade. Compared to other species of monkeys it spends a lot of time at ground level and moves on two legs quite a lot. Like any monkey, it is a very good tree climber. They climb trees occasionally for food and sleep.
Each male defends his territory with ferocity. He has a fantastic territorial instinct. In the case of a male intruder they fight with him to protect the group and the territory. To intimidate enemies or intruders show their large and powerful canines.
The male also acts as the supervisor of the group. It stands on two legs leaning against its tail or climbing a tree to study the terrain. In case of danger he warns his group by a silent signal.
If a male is born in a group when he leaves the group at maturity. He can form a group of his own, join a group of Bachelors, or try to attack another group by defeating the leader of that group.
During the mating season, bachelor males literally chase the males by groups to mate as well. At the end of the mating season the group resumes its original form and returns to a single male that can be the old or the new one.
The Hussar monkey is the only one who steps on the fingertips when moving, and not on the entire sole. Although the female Hussar monkey is a sociable monkey there are cases when it can quarrel with another female monkey in the group. After the conflict is over they reconcile and act as if there was no conflict.
Breeding Hussar Monkey
During the breeding season the male can mate with the females in the group. As he fails he gets help from the male bachelors. It is a polygamous animal.
After mating follows the gestation period of almost 6 months. The female gives birth to a single cub that she breastfeeds and protects for 10 months.
After this period he is weaned and becomes a member of the group. At the age of 4, he joined the group.
Sexual maturity is reached at age 2-5 years depending on gender. As in other species females reach sexual maturity earlier. During pregnancy, the female's facial color changes. The Black color of the face (nose, temples and eyebrows) disappears and returns six weeks after birth.
It is known that the hussar monkey has a high reproductive rate. This may be due to high mortality among adults.
Life expectancy is 20 years, and in captivity it can live up to 25 years. They live quite well in the wild compared to many other animal species.
