Monkeys
are tree-dwelling (
arboreal
)
simians
. They are in the
primate
order
. Monkeys are
intelligent
, social animals. Monkeys have a
tail
, even if it is a short one.
[2]
The word "monkey" is a common-language term. It includes two different groups of primates. The big difference is between
Old World monkeys
and
New World monkeys
. Some examples of monkeys are
macaques
,
baboons
,
and guenons
.
Both groups are in the infraorder
Simiiformes
. That infraorder also includes the
great apes
and
humans
.
[4]
The simians (monkeys) are a sister group to the
tarsiers
? the two members in the suborder
Haplorhini
diverged some 60 million years ago. New World monkeys and catarrhine monkeys appeared within the simians roughly 30 million years ago. Old World monkeys and apes emerged within the catarrhine monkeys about 70 million years ago.
Some monkeys live almost entirely in
trees
. Others live partly on the ground. Monkeys are mainly
vegetarian
, with a strong preference for fruit. However, they may eat a wide range of other food, such as insects. Monkeys can live in forests and
savannahs
, but not in deserts. Some can live in snowy mountains, but more live in
rainforests
. There are none in the rainforests of
Australia
and
New Guinea
. Apparently, they never reached either of those huge islands.
Some monkeys are small, about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and 120 g (4.2 oz) in weight. Other monkeys are much larger, about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long and 35 kg (77 lb) in weight. A group of monkeys is called a "troop" of monkeys or a "tribe" of monkeys.
The two groups of monkeys live in different places: the
New World Monkeys
in
South America
and the
Old World Monkeys
live mainly in
Africa
and
Asia
.
[5]
New World Monkeys are often smaller than Old World Monkeys.
[6]
Monkeys have long arms and legs to help them swing from trees. The monkeys often climb with the help of their tails. Some monkeys' tails can wrap tightly around branches, almost like a "fifth
limb
".
[6]
This type of tail is 'prehensile'.
The smallest known monkey is the
pygmy marmoset
. It is between 14 cm (5.5 in) and 16 cm (6.3 in) in size (without the tail). It weighs about 120 g (4.2 oz). It lives in the treetops of rainforests in
Brazil
,
Colombia
and
Ecuador
. The largest known monkey is the
mandrill
. It can grow to about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in size. Adults weigh up to 35 kg (77 lb), and spend most of their time on the ground.
The word
monkey
might have come from a popular
German
story, "Roman de Renart" (
Reynard the Fox
). In there, the name of the son of Martin the Ape is
Moneke
.
[7]
In Africa, monkeys can be sold as "bushmeat" (meat of wild animals).
[8]
Monkey
brains
are eaten in some parts of Africa, South Asia, China, and Indonesia.
[9]
[10]
Notes
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
monkeys
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Monkey
.