It is hard to tell who the real yard guests are - us or the Vervet monkeys. Mom, ever the science teacher, has encouraged us to observe how each member of the social group interacts with each other. You have to be still and patient and just watch. Annabelle is a great observer and recently captured this video of the monkeys in our yard.

It is amazing to see the different ways the families interact with each other. I see mothers breast feeding their babies. The toddler monkeys like to play games and are often coralled by their mothers. It looks like they are playing tag.

I saw a mom grooming a baby, but the baby didn't exactly want to be groomed so began running away. It was really funny. The mother would reach out with her long arms and swoop the baby right back up again to resume the grooming.

One interesting observation I have made is that some Vervet Monkeys have bright blue 'private' areas and others don't. I did a little research on the topic below.

The oldest, most dominant male is not shy. He comes right up to our front steps. I learned through National Geographic that his vibrant blue 'private parts' serve as a sign of his social dominance.