They generally live in small, silent, rather orderly bands of 10 to 30 individuals. It uses its tail as a third leg to scout for danger. The groups survive primarily by silence and speed.
Communication is principally by gesture and facial expression.
They usually do not make alarm calls as this would give away their location. They sleep low in trees at night. The Patas monkey is one of the most elongated monkeys, slenderly built and with a long, arched tail. The face of the western race, which is the one found at HZG, is white to grey with a black nose. The eastern race has a black face and a white nose.