Green Monkey

Chlorocebus sabaeus

Also known as: Western Green Monkey

LCLeast Concern
Green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus)Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) male rearGreen monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) maleGreen monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) with babyGreen monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) juvenile headGreen Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0Green monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus)Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) male rearPhoto: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) malePhoto: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) with babyPhoto: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0Green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) juvenile headPhoto: Julie Travaglini · CC BY 4.0Green Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus)

The green monkey is an African primate introduced beyond its native range. It occurs across West Africa and a few introduced areas. Its habits explain more than a map point: It eats fruit, leaves, seeds, and small animals and can live near towns. The records shown here document encounters and survey effort, not population size. Together, they show where this mammal has been found and why healthy habitat matters for its future.

US Range
Explore by state

Green Monkey across 1 state

Occurrence records, conservation status, and the places it turns up, state by state. Open a state for detail, or visit its full page.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Elevation

From 107 georeferenced records, the Green Monkey is recorded from sea levelsea level to 20 m66 ft, with half of sightings below 10 m33 ft.

Each band shows the share of georeferenced sightings that fall within it. Records cluster where people live and hike, so low, populated elevations are over-represented. Read this as observation density, not true abundance.

Observation peakJanuary1,172 records

Seasonality from research-grade observation dates across the US (1,172 records, all years). Reflects when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Best encounter

Where and when to see a Green Monkey

Your best chance: Florida, in January.

Where
FloridaFL
When
January

Life history

The Green Monkey (4.2–5.9 kg9.3–13 lb) is an omnivore that first breeds around 3.6 years, carries a 168-day gestation, and bears about 1 young per litter. Maximum recorded longevity is 46 years.

Life cycle

  1. Gestation168 days (≈5.5 months)
  2. Birthlitter of 1 young
  3. Sexual maturity3.6 yr (female) · 5 yr (male)
  4. Typical lifespan46 years
  5. Maximum recorded longevity46 years

Reproduction

Gestation
168days≈5.5 months
Litter size
1youngaverage
Litters / year
1litter
Age at first breeding
3.6years♀ 3.6 · ♂ 5 yr

Diet composition

Omnivore

By foraging composition: 40% fruit, 20% plant material, 20% invertebrates, 20% vertebrates.

  • Fruit40%
  • Plant material20%
  • Invertebrates20%
  • Vertebrates20%

Most active during the day.

Typical values for the species, not local measurements. Maximum longevity is the longest lifespan on record; most individuals live far less.

Commonly confused with

Animals people sometimes mistake for the green monkey, and how to tell them apart.

Life in its habitat

It eats fruit, leaves, seeds, and small animals and can live near towns. It’s tied to places supplying food and shelter. That connection explains much of its range.

Green monkey sitting on a wooden garden fence with banana-leaf foliage behind it
A green monkey perched on a residential fence line, one of the introduced Florida troops that has adapted to living close to people. Photo: Julie Travaglini, CC BY 4.0.

What records reveal

Florida records reflect a localized introduced group, not a statewide range. Survey effort varies, and accessible places receive more attention. A gap can’t prove absence.

Green monkey sitting on leaf litter with hands clasped near its chest
An adult resting on the ground amid dry leaf litter, the kind of low-key sighting behind most non-native Florida records. Photo: Julie Travaglini, CC BY 4.0.

Looking ahead

Monitoring can reveal effects on native habitats. Conservation works best when it protects connected habitat and reduces avoidable deaths. Surveys can reveal change without confusing records with animal numbers.

Sources

  1. GBIF – Chlorocebus sabaeus
  2. Wikipedia – Green monkey
  3. iNaturalist – Green Monkey
  4. Wikidata – Green Monkey
  5. Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI, CC0)
  6. OpenTopoData – SRTM elevation lookup

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources: