Monkeys

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION: New World monkeys make up the family Cebidae, marmosets the family Callitrichidae, and Old World monkeys the family Cercopithecidae.

HABITAT:Monkeys are found throughout the tropics of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. However, they are not native to North America, Europe, or Australia. But there exists two families - The American monkeys family and th Eurasian monkey family..Most monkeys are forest inhabitants living in the trees, but some of the Old World species are open-country ground dwellers by nature.

DESCRIPTION: Monkey are long-tailed primates which are active during the daytime. Monkeys have been divided into two groups - Old World Monkeys and New World Monkeys.

Old World Monkeys (Eurasian):

Old World monkeys belong to the family Cercopithecidae. They are generally larger than New World monkeys, and many live mostly on the ground. Their tails are not prehensile and may be very short. Their nostrils are close together and point downward. Examples of this kind are:- Baboon, Langur and Macaque

Image: A skull of a baboon

New World Monkeys (American):

The New World monkeys are placed in at least two and sometimes more families, depending upon the classification system. In contrast to the Old World monkeys, New World monkeys have 36 teeth and widely separated nostrils that open to the sides. New World monkeys are tree dwellers and many have prehensile tails. All monkeys in this family are arboreal and feed primarily on leaves, fruits, and insects.Examples of this type are:- Capuchin Monkey; Howler Monkey, the Marmoset

Monkeys mainly reproduce when the seasonal conditions are best for survival. Monkeys have gestation periods ranging from almost five months to more than seven months. Like humans, monkeys are born with their eyes open.They stay with their mothers constantly for several months following birth. They mature at three to four years in most species.

Monkeys have a varied diet, including fruit, leaves, flowers, insects, eggs,and small reptiles.Most species, however, are primarily herbivorous. Like the apes, most monkeys have thumbs and big toes

that are opposable. In addition, some species have a prehensile, or grasping, tail, like a fifth hand, which they use for clinging to branches. Monkeys have color vision and 3-D sight, acute hearing, and some form of vocalization.