Diurnal Activity Budgets and Feeding Habits of Grivet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops aethiops) in Fragmented Moist Afromontane Forest

Abstract

Grivet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops aethiops) are opportunistic omnivores and extremely adaptable in both rural and urban environments. A study was conducted out in human-dominated fragmented moist Afromontane forest of wondo genet to investigate the diurnal activity budgets and feeding habits of grivet monkey. Data collection was carried out from February to September 2022 covering both wet and dry seasons. During each scan, individuals were recorded as performing one of the following activities: feeding, moving (searching for food), resting, grooming, playing and others such as drinking, vocalisation and defecation, or aggression and sexual activity. Dietary composition and preferences were assessed using scan sampling method. Proximate analysis was conducted to examine the nutritional makeup of feeding food items. The greatest proportion of the activity time budget of the grivet monkey was devoted to feeding, resting and moving, with relatively higher time devoted to feeding and moving and less time devoted to resting when compared with grivet monkeys inhabiting natural habitats. Grivet monkey utilised 42 food items grouped into 41 plant species and 1 insect. Psidium guava and Desmodium intortum, relatively with higher crude protein and less fibre, were the most preferred plants consumed. The study has pointed out that grivet monkeys in the human-dominated landscape of Wondo Genet remnant moist afromontane forest tend to prefer to consume on fruit tress such as Persea americana, Mangifera indica and Psidium guava, which contain high nutritional content that are planted and managed around homesteads. It is recommended to plant and sustainably manage grivet monkeys' natural foods in human-dominated landscape of Wondo Genet remnant moist afromontane forest to sustainably conserve the species and avoid/reduce human-grivet monkey conflict.