Solid data and genetic research provide
important evidence about a colony of wild vervet monkeys from Africa that
landed on the Dania Beach front.
They landed on this front as well as 70
years ago and settled in a thick mangrove forest.
It is near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
Worldwide Airport in South Florida.
General information about vervet monkeys
The non-native vervet monkey population
(Chlorocebus sabaeus) living in this urban coastal area is well known and
appreciated by local residents and city officials.
However, it is relatively unknown to primatologists.
Despite substantial community interest, there
has been only one scientific study (early 1990s).
It is suggesting that the monkeys escaped
from a roadside zoo in the 1950s and 1970s.
Until now, there has been no affirmation of
the species' identification, geographic origins, or introduction history.
1. Vervet monkey species monkeys in Dania Beach
A team of scientists from Florida Atlantic
University combined several methodological approaches to determine the species
of Chlorocebus monkeys in Dania Beach.
The results of the study, published in the
journal Primates, provide the scientific community with critical foundation
information.
The results were about a little-known
population of Chlorocebus monkeys that survived for decades in a new
environment.
Through interviews, historical records and
popular media, FAU scientists traced the apes to an escape from the Dania chimpanzee
farm in 1948.
The facility served as a zoo in business
and also provided primates imported from Africa as research subjects in the
development of the polio vaccine.
Historical records and literature suggest
that the monkeys were captured primarily in Sierra Leone.
Indeed, the researchers tested the
hypothesis of West African origins using three genetic markers.
Namely two fragments of the Y chromosome, a
mitochondrial DNA gene (cytochrome b) and the sex-determining gene and zinc
finger gene.
Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the
Dania Seaside monkeys are in fact Chlorocebus sabaeus (green monkey) and are of
West African origin.
2. Characteristic to identify Chlorocebus monkey
Scientists recorded the following
characteristics to help identify monkey species.:
Fur color, presence or absence of a brow
band, tail tip color, and scrotal color of adult males;
The constants were then compared to all
species of the genus Chlorocebus in order to validate the hypothesis.
Also, to estimate the species studied using
these characteristics.
"Our Dania Seashore monkeys have a
golden-tipped tail and greenish-brown hair; do not have a pronounced eyebrow
band around the face.
Males have a pale blue scrotum.
These phenotypic features are
characteristic of Chlorocebus sabaeus," said Deborah "Missy"
Williams, Ph.D.
On the Department of Biological Sciences at
FAU's Charles E. Schmidt Higher Education of Science, it is responsible for the
Dania Beach Front Vervet project.
For the primary objective of conserving
this kind of monkeys and has been studying them for nearly ten years.
The study is conducted by Williams with
Kate Detwiler, Ph.D.
They are a senior author and associate
professor in the Department of Anthropology in FAU's Dorothy F. Schmidt College
of Arts and Letters.
The origin of the Chlorocebus monkeys
This species is commonly referred to as the
green monkey because of the color of its fur.
Chlorocebus species have hair colors ranging
from greenish brown to grayish olive with black faces, hands, and feet.
Males have a blue scrotum and a red penis
and perianum surrounded by white hair.
Green monkeys are endemic to West Africa,
with a range from Senegal and western Guinea-Bissau to Ghana.
They are the most widespread African
monkeys and are habitat generalists, limited only by the availability of water
and sleeping trees.
"The data from our study lay the foundation
for future studies to answer new questions about the status of the inhabitants.
Also,
to answer how the monkeys have adapted to the urban and industrial environment
of South Florida," said Detwiler.
"Correct taxonomic identification, and
history of introduced Dania Seashore monkeys is important for the community
outreach and wildlife management.
They had given the remarkable ability of
Chlorocebus to thrive in most environments."
Florida is home to three major free-ranging
primates in the southeastern United States:
Chlorocebus sabaeus (green monkey);
Macaca mulatta (rhesus macaque);
Saimiri sciureus (squirrel monkey).
These three species of primates have been
introduced by various research facilities, zoos, entertainment companies, and
private collections.
When West African monkeys sound the alarm
Pursued by... a drone, green monkeys were
able to produce a new alarm call quickly understood by their fellow monkeys.
This suggests that the species has an
innate repertoire of expressions.
The flying device was used in a study
conducted by German scientists with 80 green monkeys from Senegal.
Study published on May 27, 2019 in the
British scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
These monkeys, which live in West Africa,
are notably recognizable by their black face bordered by white hair.
To better understand how they communicate
with each other, German researchers tested their reactions to the appearance of
a drone in the sky.
A "danger" that was previously
unknown to them. The result: the primates started to shout in a very different
way than when they see leopards or snakes.
In front of threats, they warn their fellow creatures by emitting sounds specific to each danger. After the sound
"leopard", they climb in the trees.
After the "snake" alert, they
come to rest on two legs.
"The calls made in response to the drone
were clearly distinguishable from those made in response to other
predators," the study explains.
