TTMT 075 Patas Monkey Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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CONTAINER TYPE: Pill Bottle
Welcome to the Team Trunk Monkey Turnpike - "TTMT"
This series of caches runs along this stretch of 4-lane road, which features a wide paved shoulder along it's entire course. These caches will all be on the South / East side of the road. There will be caches of several different sizes and types, and the hiding spots will vary in difficulty and terrain, as the locations allow. As such, several of these caches will have you walking through tall grass & looking through vegetation. During the "tick season" it is highly recommended to use a quality insect repellent, and as always if it is sunny out, use a good sunblock too.
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Patas monkey
Erythrocebus patas
Conservation status: Least concern
Life span: 21.6 years
Total population: Unknown
Regions: Equatorial Africa
Gestation: 167 days
Height: 600 to 875 mm (M), 490 mm ( F)
Weight: 12.4 kg (M), 6.5 kg ( F)
Suborder: Haplorrhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Superfamily: Cercopithecoidea
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Cercopithecinae
Genus: Erythrocebus
Species: E. patas
Other names: Patas, red guenon, red monkey, military monkey, nisnas, Aïr patas, Aïr red, black-nosed patas, west African patas, west African red monkey, blue nile hussar monkey, dancing red monkey, nile patas, Ikoma patas or red hussar monkey; engabwor (Ateso); cercopitheque patas, le singe rouge, patas (French); husarenaffe (German); elwala (Karamajong); naggawo (Luganda); ayom (Lwo); akahinda (Runyoro); husarapa or patasapa (Swedish).
Traditionally, only one species of patas monkey has been recognized but up to four subspecies have been proposed, E.p.baumstarki, E.p.patas, E.p.pyrrhonotus, E.p.villiersi. These subspecies are disputed and may only represent geographical divisions of the species.
MORPHOLOGY:
This species has cheek pouches to carry food in while it forages. The average body mass for adult male patas monkeys is around 12 kilograms, and for the females it is around 6 kilograms; this is a highly sexually dimorphic species. The patas monkey has a slender body with long limbs and a long tail. Digits on the hands and feet are short and narrow.
RANGE:
The patas monkey is found from Western Ethiopia to Senegal. This species is found in woodland margin habitats, and somewhat less in steppe and savanna environments.
ECOLOGY:
The patas monkey is mainly a terrestrial species. Group sizes range from 5 to 74 individuals. The patas monkey sleeps in trees on the edge of the grassland. The main part of the diet is grass seeds, new shoots, and acacia gums. The patas monkey will also eat arthropods for protein. They also sometimes consume berries, fruit, and beans from the tamarind tree. The patas monkey is a diurnal species.
LOCOMOTION:
The patas monkey is a terrestrial quadruped, and is an excellent runner being able to reach speeds of up to 55 km/h. They are known to stand bipedally to look out for predators and to see over the tall grass when the group is moving.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR:
The patas monkey has a unimale social system, with males sometimes forming all-male bands. During breeding season, occasionally extra males will enter the group and sometimes mate, but usually only the resident male receives the copulations. Males leave their natal group shortly before adolescence and females remain within the natal group. The resident male generally stays on the edge of the group, and only interacts with the females during the breeding season, females will harass the resident male if he is nearby. Hall (1967) concluded that female aggression is a major factor to whether a male will become a member of the group or not. Females will groom each other and females will let other adults and immature females take care of their infants.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Thneq Envy