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You are here: Home / Animals / Monkeys

Monkeys

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Monkeys are divided into two geographically separate groups – the New World Monkeys of South America and the Old World Monkeys, found in Africa and Asia.

Old World Monkeys

New World Monkeys

The Old World monkeys include some terrestrial species such as the baboons, while New World monkeys are exclusively arboreal.

Some species of New World monkeys have a prehensile tail that can be used like a hand or finger to grasp hold of things such as food, branches and twigs.

There are 264 known species of monkey which consists of both Old World monkeys and New World monkeys.

Because monkeys do not belong to one single group, monkeys do not have any single traits which they all share and they do not share any traits with the remaining group of simians which are the apes.

New World Monkeys include such species as the Marmosets, Spider Monkey, Red Howler Monkey and the Titi Monkey.

Old World Monkeys include such species as the Rhesus Macaque, Hamadryas Baboon and the Black Colobus Monkey.

Although both the New World monkeys and the Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward facing eyes, the faces of Old World monkeys and New World monkeys look very different, though again, each group shares some features such as the shape of noses, cheeks and rumps.

Monkeys range in size from the Pygmy Marmoset, at 14 – 16 centimetres (5 – 6 inches) long (including their tail) and 120 – 140 grams (4 – 5 ounces) in weight, to the male Mandrill which measures almost 1 metre (3 feet) in length and weighs 35 kilograms (75 pounds). Some monkeys are arboreal (living in trees), some live on the savannah. Monkeys diets differ among the various species, however, they may contain any of the following: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, insects, spiders, eggs and small animals.

The Prosimian group is a sub-order of monkeys, very distinct from the anthropoids (sub-order anthropoidea, including monkeys, apes and humans). The prosimian category includes Lemurs, Lorises, and Tarsiers, small creatures of the tropical forest who may most resemble our earliest ancestors.

Prosimians are restricted to tropical woodlands. Many surviving species have become nocturnal, a habit that has been acquired because they have become withdrawn by competition from monkeys and rodents.

List of  Common Types of Monkey Species

Chacma Baboon

monkey-2

Common Marmoset

monkey

Common Squirrel Monkey

monkey-1-4170060

Cotton-top Tamarin

monkey-2-6875821

Crab-eating Macaque

Crab-eating Macaque

De Brazza’s Monkey

De Brazza’s Monkey

Drill

monkey-5-3545375

Dusky Leaf Monkey

monkey-6-8525175

Formosan Rock Macaque

monkey-7-7427580

Francois’ Leaf Monkey

monkey-8-8066019

Gelada

monkey-9-9874919

Vervet

monkey-10-2743257

Mandrill

monkey-11-7050039

Gibbon

monkey-12-8143712

Golden Monkey

Golden Monkey

Allen’s Swamp Monkey

Allen’s Swamp Monkey

Black Howler

Black Howler

Black Lion Tamarin

monkey-3-3553657

Black Snub-nosed Monkey

monkey-4-2693532

Black-and-white Colobuses

monkey-5-3695719

Black-handed Spider Monkey

monkey-6-6977998

Blue Monkey

monkey-7-5105444

Brown-mantled Tamarin

monkey-8-4551217

Celebes Crested Macaque

Celebes Crested Macaque

Central American Squirrel Monkey

monkey-10-8668555

Golden snub-nosed monkey

monkey-11-4389809

Green Monkey

Green Monkey

Grivet

Grivet

Guenon

monkey-14-2451752

Guinea Baboon

monkey-15-7165704

Kipunji

Kipunji

Mantled Guereza

Mantled Guereza

Mantled Howler

Mantled Howler

Northern Plains Gray Langur

Northern Plains Gray Langur

Olive Baboon

Olive Baboon

Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis Monkey

Pygmy Marmoset

Pygmy Marmoset

Red-faced Spider Monkey

Red-faced Spider Monkey

Red-shanked Douc

Red-shanked Douc

Rhesus Mmacaque

Rhesus Mmacaque

Silvery Lutung

monkey-28-4138773

Sooty Mangabey

Sooty Mangabey

Southern Pig-tailed Macaque

monkey-30-6448409

Stump-tailed Macaque

Stump-tailed Macaque

Tufted Capuchin

monkey-32-6364258

Venezuelan Red Howler

Venezuelan Red Howler

White-faced Saki

White-faced Saki

Yellow Baboon

Yellow Baboon

Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey

monkey-36-1432020

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

  • New World Monkeys
  • Old World Monkeys
  • Saki Monkeys
  • Preuss's Monkey
    Preuss's Monkey
  • Black Capped Squirrel Monkeys
    Squirrel Monkeys
  • Titi Monkeys

About Joanne Spencer

I've always been passionate about animals which led me to a career in training and behaviour. As an animal professional I'm committed to improving relationships between people and animals to bring them more happiness.

Animal Classification

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Primates
Suborder:Haplorhini
Infraorder:Simiiformes

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