Species About Monkey

Primate species found mostly in tropical rainforests include monkeys. Most live in trees, although some—like baboons and macaques—are terrestrial. Asia and Africa are home to Old World monkeys such as baboons, gelada, and colobus. In contrast, America and South and Central America are home to New World monkeys such as web monkeys, tamarins, and capuchins. There are numerous endangered monkey species.

Learn some of the most amazing facts about monkeys, such as their powerful, prehensile tails and highly clever tool use.

Quick Facts

Often known as monkeys
Scientific names: Aotidae, Pitheciidae, Atelidae, Cercopithecidae, Callitrichidae, and Cebidae
Average Lifespan in the Wild: 20 years for colobine monkeys, 21 years for patas monkeys, 30 years for rhesus monkeys, and 37 years for hamadryas baboons
Colobine monkeys have an average lifespan of 29 years, patas monkeys are 21 years old, rhesus monkeys are 36 years old, and hamadryas baboons are 28 years old.
Status according to the IUCN Red List: 34 near-threatened, 78 vulnerable, 72 endangered, 40 critically endangered, and 100 of least concern.123456
Present-day Population: Lowe’s monkey: 10,0008, grey-shanked monkey: 10,0008, Japanese macaque: 2000 to 3,8507 Double length: 550–7009

Not Every Primatum Is a Monkey

Sometimes, the word “monkey” is to refer to any member of the primate family, although in reality, prosimians (such as lemurs, which are tarsiers, and lorises) and apes (such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans) and monkeys inhabit entirely distinct sections of the evolutionary tree.

The majority of monkeys have tails, although apes and various other primates do not, which is one significant distinction between them and other primates. Because of their larger brains, apes are also often larger and more intelligent than monkeys.

They Build Stronger Relationships Through Grooming

For monkeys, picking dirt, bugs, and other detritus of their friends is a sign of respect and affection rather than a reflection of their hygiene. The insulating value of a vervet monkey’s fur might rise by more than 50% following a complete grooming.

Tails Only Found on New World Monkeys Are Prehensile

The only new-world monkeys with prehensile tails are capuchins are in the Cebidae family and howler and spider monkeys within the Atelidae family. The tropical regions like the nation of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America are home to these arboreal primates. The tails of old-world monkeys, which found in Africa and Asia, are not prehensile.

Spider monkeys & howler monkeys are longer and more adept at grabbing than capuchins. The tails of spider monkeys are bigger than their bodies. In addition to being hairless, their tails feature friction pads for improved grip.

11Not Nearly as long as they are, capuchins’ tails in fur and mostly used to grip branches and carry fruit over the forest.

In Europe, there is a single species of wild monkey.

The unique status of being the sole untamed nonhuman primate in Europe belongs to barbary macaques. The majority of Barbary macaques live in the highlands of Algeria and Morocco, but a tiny colony of about 200 animals to and is now maintained in Gibraltar.

These macaques have been around Gibraltar for several centuries, but DNA study reveals that they were initially brought from Northern Africa.

Over 24 years, the number of Barbary macaques, which considered endangered over their entire territory, has decreased by more than 50%.

The smallest monkey in the world

Species About Monkey, This small New World monkey, which is native to the Amazon Valley of South America, grows to an adult size of approximately five inches and weighs around four ounces. The monogamous pairs of Crested marmosets (Callithrix pygmaea) share parenting responsibilities and live in groups of two to six people. One to three infants, often including fraternal twins, are born to females.

The Madam Berthe’s mouse lemur is the smallest living primate, even though the tiny marmoset was the tiniest monkey.

The Biggest Monkeys in the World Are Mandrills

Species About Monkey, The brilliant coloring on the faces and behinds of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), that inhabit the tropical rainforests region of central West Africa, makes them immediately identifiable. Apart from their color, mandrills differ from other monkeys in that they show severe sexual dimorphism in their size.

Adult male mandrills range between 55 and 119 pounds on average, compared to the average weight of 25 pounds for female mandrills.

A Bare Uakari’s Face Colour Could Indicate Its Health

A Bald Uakari’s Colour May Indicate Its Hea: Bald Uakari have remarkably red faces. Anecdotal evidence has discovered by scientists indicating that these African monkeys appear healthier the brighter their faces. People who are sick have darker skin tones; they frequently afflicted with the illness, which is common in their jungle homes.

Additionally, these monkeys have very good color vision, which aids them in identifying the healthiest and most suitable individuals for mating.

Capuchins Use Tools Wispily

Among the first non-ape primates to seen using tools with great skill in the wild were capuchins. An archaeological investigation on the use of stone tools by wild bearded capuchins indicates that these tool-using cultures date back over 3,000 years. They developed a tool-using technique during that time that was previously exclusive to humans.

The most prevalent instance of clever tool use by capuchins is their method of cracking open nuts, which involves setting the nuts on “anvils” made of pitted stone and then forcefully striking them with another rock.

The archaeological study claims that over time, humans changed the form of their tools, substituting softer nuts for seeds and smaller stones for nuts. Another astounding illustration of the capuchins’ intelligence is how they apply crushed millipedes to their bodies to ward off insects like mosquitoes.

The Loudest Monkeys Are the Howlers

Species About Monkey, All monkeys can communicate, but howler monkeys have the loudest sounds of any land mammal. The roar of a howler monkey can heard by humans three miles away. Compared to female howler monkeys, males are bigger and noisier. An expanded hyoid bone in their throats is a physical adaptation that gives howler monkeys their distinctive deep voice.

Macaques from Japan Take a soothing hot bath

Species About Monkey, Snow monkeys, or Japanese macaques, have adapted over time to live in a variety of temperatures, from tropical to subarctic.

The volcanic hot springs, or onsens, near Yamanouchi, Japan’s Jigokudani Monkey Park are a popular destination for trooping snow monkeys. Although this behavior seems to be adjusting to the cold climate, researchers have also found that the monkeys’ stress levels lowered by the hot baths.

Carefully selecting their sleeping trees, monkeys

Since monkeys spend the night in trees, they must be picky about where they choose to sleep. Since they can’t easily move between branches, it’s thought that predators are deterred from choosing them. Typically, they select tall, solitary trees that do not touch one another. It also has the extra advantage of lowering exposure to insects that bite and shielding against mosquitoes that spread malaria. Because there is food around, some monkeys prefer to remain near human communities.

Of All Nonhuman Primates, Rhesus Monkeys Have the Widest Distribution

Although Macaca mulatta, the Old World rhesus monkey, is native to Asia, its remarkable adaptability has led to its global spread.

Based on the CABI Invasion Compendium, rhesus monkey populations—which are invasive because they are nonnative—now reside in the states of Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and Puerto Rico, giving them the widest distribution of any nonhuman primate.

According to LiveScience, Because of their variable diet and capacity to live in a variety all habitats—from tropical forests to chilly alpine regions—they have a chance to become invasive on each continent except Antarctica.

Greater Than Just Bananas Are Eaten by Monkeys

When you imagine what a monkey eats, you may think of a banana, but in reality, monkey diets are much more varied.

Primarily omnivorous, monkeys consume a wide variety of foods found in their natural habitat, including nuts, fruits, flowers, leaves, vegetables, growl, roots, rodents, birds, and invertebrates.

As an agricultural crop, bananas are very uncommon in the wild, therefore most monkeys may have never had a banana before.

Preserve the primates

Support Africa’s endangered primates by making a donation or offering your time to the Pan African Refuge Alliance.
Donate to the Rare Primate Rescue Centre to help them with their conservation efforts as well as their programs for rescuing and releasing endangered langurs from Vietnam.
To prevent the extinction of the red colobus forest in the Niger Delta, join the Rainforest Trust project.