There are different kinds of monkeys found in the world and they are considered to be one of the most curious and funny animals. Their senses are just like humans; therefore, they also go through the same bunch of emotions that is love, hate, compassion, and fear. Either you will find old world monkeys or you will get to know about the new world monkeys and not just that there are different species within these two categories.
You will be surprised to know that there are almost as many as 260 species around the world. One animal that has influenced our culture to quite an extent are the monkeys. Monkeys are also known as Baboon.
Also check- Baboon vs Hyena
One of the most intelligent animals and the funny thing is that depending on their species, they can either be small or quite large in size.Their finger structure is similar to that of the humans, but the only difference is their thumbs which are opposable and that helps them in climbing. I have seen some videos where a monkey is smartly fighting with crocodiles, powerful snake pythons and lions to save his babies.
Some other interesting facts are mentioned below –
- The smallest monkey can be as small as 6 inches in length and weighs around 4 ounces whereas the largest one can be as big as 3 feet high and 77 pounds in weight.
- if you are confused about the old world monkey and new world monkey, then here is an example that will clear your confusion, Baboon hails from old world whereas the marmoset is from the new world
- Till date, there has not been any confirmation about the origin of the name monkey, some says it comes from the word Moneke which is the name of the Martin The Ape’s son which is a character in the animal story of the medieval whereas some feels that the word is originated from the Dutch word manneken, which means little man.
- Their communication styles are quite similar to that of the humans and that is the reason they either use facial expressions or vocalizations to communicate. Sometimes they use body movements as well. In order to show their aggression they grin or pull their lip, sometimes they start head-hobbing, yawning or jerking the shoulders and head forward
- Their style of expressing love or making peace is also quite unique. When they are grooming each other that means either they are showing their affection or they are making peace with each other.
- They are the carrier of tuberculosis, simian herpes B, and hepatitis. You will find that the monkeys peel off the skin of the banana before eating them just like the humans do.
- Some striking differences between the old world monkeys and the new world monkeys are that the old world monkeys are said to have 32 teeths whereas the new world monkey has 36 teeths. You will find 96 different types of ole world monkeys whereas there are around 81 species found amongst the New World monkeys.
- The babies of silvered leaf monkeys are bright orange in color whereas they grow into silver or dark gray monkeys later
- There are some howler monkeys as well whose howls are so loud that you can hear them from as far as 2 miles if you are in a forest area and 3 miles if you are standing in an open area.
- 80% of time the howler monkey is seen to be resting, but then there is another species of monkey which is known as the squirrel monkey and they are said to urinate on subordinates to show their dominance over them. This is the reason the monkeys are said to be one of the most naughty animals of all.
I hope you like reading about monkeys.
