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Mammal. The world's fastest primate, the patas (PAH-tes) monkey can run on the ground at speeds up to 55 km (34 mi) per hour. Patas monkeys walk on their fingers, not on their palms. When relaxed, they lean back and put up their feet! They have been called “the dancing monkey” because they jump when they are excited. Patas monkeys can hold as much food in their cheeks as they can in their stomachs. Compared to other monkeys, they are relatively quiet except during times of conflict. Groups of patas monkeys never spend two nights in the same place, and each monkey sleeps in the most inaccessible tree he or she can find. |
| Scientific
Name |
Lifespan |
| Erythrocebus patas |
15-20 yrs, 20+ in captivity |
| Diet |
| Omnivore. Acacia tree parts, fruit, grubs, insects, and small reptiles. |
| Predators and Threats |
| Lions, leopards, cheetahs, caracals, jackals, wild and domestic dogs, hyenas, and humans; habitat loss. |
| Habitat |
| Open country: savannas and woodland fringes; West Africa to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. |
