Monkey Definition, Characteristics, Types, Classification, & Facts

Although their tails are not prehensile, they play an important role during mating and bonding. Their tails are about one-third the length of their entire body, including their head. Grooming also presents other benefits, especially for the Vervet monkey.

Pygmy Marmoset (Finger Monkey)

In the meantime, the monkey strayed into the police station and attempted to snatch the baby girl from the mother. However, they agree on one point that catching monkeys is a difficult task in any village where people crowd and create a stir-like situation. The stories of their expertise in monkey catching monkeys caught former Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais' attention who also took their help to capture monkeys creating havoc in his Raipur farm in Chhattisgarh.

Cambodian wildlife official arrested for monkey smuggling

New World monkeys and catarrhine monkeys emerged within the simians roughly 35 million years ago. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent, especially the Old World monkeys. The extant sister of the Catarrhini in the monkey ("singes") group is the Platyrrhini (New World monkeys).

Varied Habitats of Monkeys

They are characterised by their long limbs and tails, which help them to swing between trees. Many species are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. The closest analogue to the complex society of the spider monkey is found not in an Old World monkey but in the chimpanzee.

• Some monkeys can swim; their webbed toes help them paddle through the water, and they may swim across a stream or river to avoid predators or get to food.
• Old World monkeys and apes emerged within the catarrhine monkeys about 25 million years ago.
• Monkeys grieve the loss of a troop member, and mothers sometimes mourn by carrying their deceased infants for weeks.
• Once a few individuals had solved the problems of getting at the new foods, their innovations gradually spread throughout entire troops.
• Meanwhile, the Old World is equally teeming with its spectrum of monkey species, hidden away in the vast expanses of Asia and Africa.
• The Allen’s swamp monkey “goes fishing” by placing leaves or grass on top of the water and grabbing fish that come to hide underneath.

A Balanced Alternative in the Video Chat Landscape

• Old world monkeys, together with apes, form the group Catarrhini.
• While tool use may not always increase food acquisition, it can improve dietary quality by providing access to high-energy foods.
• “Some untufted, or white-fronted, capuchins use smelly plants, such as leaves from the Piper plant, citrus, or alliums, to anoint themselves and others in their social group,” Mayhew says.

Both the Catalogue of life and the IUCN currently recognize only one species. Genetic research has revealed that what was previously considered to be one, wide-ranging species may be three or four species. The species travels and forages mainly in the lower canopy and understorey. The blond capuchin is threatened both by habitat loss and by hunting for food and for the pet trade. The species is only found in the coastal rainforests of northeastern Brazil.

The male proboscis monkey’s large nose, which can grow longer than four inches (10 cm), is how they secure a mate. Monkeys are among the few animals besides humans that can identify their reflection in the mirror. Monkeys are incredibly social creatures that live in groups. Monkeys love their rest and, on average, spend more time asleep than humans.

The black snub-nosed monkey is endemic to the Yunnan province in southern China. Blue monkeys inhabit damp, shaded environments, evergreen forests, forest canopies, and bamboo forests. Male blue monkeys are slightly larger than females despite weighing no more than six kilograms. The vervet monkey uses all four limbs when climbing trees and moving over the ground.

Night monkeys, also known as owl monkeys, are the only nocturnal monkeys and have big eyes for seeing at night. Central and South America are home to several more types of monkeys as well. Offspring from these types of monkeys aren’t your average twins, either. “Tamarins and marmosets are a group of tiny monkeys that have some unique traits, including typically having twins,” Rodrigues says. Crossing the Atlantic, we find the Central and South American “New World” monkeys.