Updated: Jul 9
Monkeys are primates found primarily in tropical rainforests. Most are arboreal, though some, like macaques and baboons, are terrestrial. New World monkeys, like spider monkeys, tamarins, and capuchins, are found in Mexico and South and Central America, while Old World monkeys, including baboons, gelada, and colobus, are found in Asia and Africa. Many species of monkeys are endangered.
From strong prehensile tails to highly intelligent use of tools, discover the most fascinating facts about monkeys.
The term "monkey" is sometimes used as a catch-all for every animal in the primate family, but the truth is that monkeys live on completely different branches of the evolutionary tree from both apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans) and prosimians ( lemurs, tarsiers, and lorises).
One big difference between monkeys and other primates is in the tail: Most monkeys have tails, while apes and other primates do not. Apes also tend to be larger than monkeys and, thanks to their larger brains, more intelligent.
For monkeys, picking bugs, dirt, and other debris off their companions is far from an indictment of their personal hygiene—it's an expression of affection and love. Grooming rituals not only keep monkeys healthy, but they also strengthen their social bonds and, ultimately, make them feel more comfortable. Researchers have discovered that when vervet monkeys comb each other’s pelts, it fluffs the fur and makes it thicker. After thorough grooming, the insulation value of the vervet monkey’s pelt increases by as much as 50%.
Only New World monkeys in the Atelidae family, like howler monkeys, Spider monkeys and Capuchins in the Cebidae family, have prehensile tails. These arboreal primates live in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Old World monkeys, which live in Asia and Africa, have tails, but they are not prehensile.
In length and gripping ability, spider monkeys and howler monkeys have an edge on capuchins. Spider monkeys have tails that are longer than their entire bodies. Their tails are also hairless and have friction pads for better gripping. Capuchins, which have hair-covered tails that are not nearly as long, primarily use their tails to grasp branches and carry fruit through the forest.
Capuchins go about in noisy troops consisting of several adults and young. They frequent the tops of tall forest trees but roam throughout the vertical range of their habitat from forest floor to canopy. They are very active during the day, these monkeys sometimes forage with Squirrel monkeys, feeding on fruit, other vegetable matter, and small animals. The capuchin diet is quite broad, encompassing over 95 plant species in some areas, but palm fruits are preferred in particular by capuchins; stronger individuals even smash the nuts to get at the insides. At times, capuchins will raid plantations and farms for oranges, corn, and other food.were one of the first primates other than apes to be observed engaging in highly skilled tool use in the wild. According to an archaeological study of capuchin stone tool use, wild bearded capuchins have been using tools for more than 3,000 years. During that time, their tool usage evolved, a skill previously only attributed to humans.
The most common example of intelligent tool use in Capuchins is the way they crack open nuts, which is by placing them on pitted stone "anvils" and then hitting them hard with another rock. According to the archaeological study, they adjusted the size of their tools using smaller rocks for seeds and softer nuts over time. Another remarkable example of the intelligence of capuchins is the way they rub crushed-up millipedes on their bodies to repel mosquitos and other insects.
Capuchin monkeys apparently breed at any time of year, although in Central America births are more frequent during the dry season. Gestation takes about six months, and births are usually single. Individual females give birth at intervals of one to two years, and the young reach maturity in four to six years. In captivity, capuchin monkeys are easily trained and have been popularly associated with roving performers such as organ grinder.
Spider monkeys are New World Monkeys found in the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Central and South America. Their name is the result of their spiderlike appearance when they hang by their extra long prehensile tails from the bow of a tree.
There are seven species and seven subspecies of spider monkeys, and all are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and hunting. Spider monkeys are primarily herbivores and frugivores that are quite social and tend to live in large groups. From their lack of opposable thumbs to their ability to cover large distances with a single swing, discover the most fascinating facts about spider monkeys.
One of the most defining characteristics of the spider monkey is its long prehensile tail. The spider monkey’s tail is strong and well-developed for arboreal life — and is often described as an extra so that the monkey limb. The tail is designed for gripping: It lacks hair on the underside can more easily grasp branches with its tail while gathering fruit with its hands.
The tails of spider monkeys are longer than their bodies — some are as long as 35 inches.
Spider monkey troops are matriarchal, meaning the females play a leadership role. Females actively choose their mates when breeding, which, in the case of white-bellied spider monkeys, leads to less aggressive behavior among males. The alpha female of the troop also tends to be the decision-maker, leading the group to feeding areas and determining the ultimate size of the group.
Female spider monkeys are also more likely to leave the nest, moving on to join a new troop when they reach puberty.
A unique adaptation of spider monkeys as compared to other primates is their lack of opposable thumbs on their hands. Their hands have only vestigial thumbs, the tiny nub left over from their ancestors, who did have thumbs. The absence of this extra digit gives the spider monkey a more hooklike hand with long, slender fingers, providing a better grip to swing from branch to branch in its arboreal abode.
There are seven species of spider monkey, and all of them are under threat of extinction. The variegated or brown spider monkey, Ateles hybridus, is critically endangered. Found in Columbia and Venezuela, their biggest threats are degradation and fragmentation of their forest habitat and illegal hunting. Much of the brown spider monkeys’ habitat is used for agriculture, and their population is anticipated to be reduced by as much as 80 percent over the next 45 years.
Pigmy Marmosets, native to the Amazon Basin of South America, this tiny New World monkey is around 5 inches long and weighs about 4 ounces in adulthood. Pygmy marmosets (Callithrix pygmaea) live in groups of two to six individuals and monogamous pairs share parental duties. Females give birth to one to three babies, which frequently include fraternal twins. Although the pygmy marmoset is the tiniest monkey, the award for the smallest living primate goes to the Madame Berthe's mouse lemur.
Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), which live in the tropical rainforests of central West Africa, are easily recognizable because of the vibrant coloration of their faces and behinds. In addition to color, mandrills exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism in size that sets them apart from other monkeys.While female mandrills weigh in at around 25 pounds on average, adult male mandrills weigh an average of 55 pounds and as much as 119 pounds.
Howler Monkeys While all monkeys can make their presence known, howler monkeys have one of the loudest calls of any land mammal. Humans can hear a howler monkey’s roar from a distance of three miles. Male howler monkeys are larger and louder than females. The deep sound produced by the howler monkey is the result of a physical adaptation of the species: an enlarged hyoid bone in their throats.
Rhesus Monkey Old World rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are native to Asia, but their tremendous adaptability has resulted in their spreading all around the world. Populations of rhesus monkeys—considered invasive since they're nonnative, now live in Florida, South Carolina, and Puerto Rico, making their range the largest of any nonhuman primate, according to the CABI Invasive Species Compendium. As LiveScience reported Because of their flexible diet and ability to live in a range of habitats, from tropical forests to cold, mountainous regions, they have the potential to become invasive on every continent except Antarctica.
Monkeys sleep in trees at night, which means they need to be selective about their snoozing spots. They typically choose tall, isolated trees whose branches do not touch others; this is believed to discourage predators, as they are unable to move easily between branches. It has the added benefit of protecting against malaria-carrying mosquitoes and reducing exposure to biting insects. Some monkeys like to be near human settlements because of their proximity to food.
Monkeys eat more than just bananas You might picture a banana when thinking about a monkey eating, but their diets are far more diverse than that. Monkeys are mostly omnivorous, eating nuts, fruits, leaves, flowers, vegetables, bark, roots, rodents, birds, invertebrates, and more, pretty much whatever is available in their habitat. In fact, since bananas are an agricultural crop, they're not commonly found in the wild, so most monkeys have likely never tasted a banana before.
Monkeys are at Risk You might picture a banana when thinking about a monkey eating, but their diets are far more diverse than that. Monkeys are mostly omnivorous, eating nuts, fruits, leaves, flowers, vegetables, bark, roots, rodents, birds, invertebrates, and more, pretty much whatever is available in their habitat. In fact, since bananas are an agricultural crop, they're not commonly found in the wild, so most monkeys have likely never tasted a banana before. New World monkeys that are critically endangered include the cotton-headed tamarin, the Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchin, and the pied tamarin.