World Monkey Day

1. Monkeys are a type of primate, in fact monkeys make up up about 80% of all primates. That’s a lot of monkeys! There are over 260 species of monkeys. They are divided up into two main groups, old world monkeys and new world monkeys.

Old world monkeys live in Africa and Asia, and include baboons, mandrills, drills, macaques, guenons, langurs, and colobus monkeys.

New world monkeys live in Central and South America, and include howler monkeys, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, woolly monkeys, marmosets, tamarins, and capuchins.

2. Most monkeys live in rainforests around the world and spend their time swinging through the trees, although some species, such as baboons, prefer the ground! You can also find monkeys in savannahs or grasslands. Some even live in mountain habitats.

3. Monkeys are intelligent creatures, although not as intelligent as some primates, like humans and apes. Capuchin monkeys for example are known to use tools like apes do.

4. All monkeys live in social groups, called troops or tribes. They have lots of different and loud ways of communicating with each other. The largest monkey becomes the leader of the group. They also have to be strong as they often end up fighting for the right to be leader too!

5. Howler monkeys are the loudest land animal in the world! Their calls can travel up to 3 miles and are as loud as an aeroplane’s jet engine!

6. Almost all species of monkeys have tails. Some old world monkeys have short tails and a few don’t have one at all. New world monkeys all have tails and many have very long tails and are able to grasp with them. This means that they can use their tail to hold onto branches almost acting like another arm, helping them to swing through trees even more effectively.

7. Monkeys vary in size massively. Old world monkeys are bigger than new world monkeys. The smallest species of monkey is the Pygmy Marmoset, which grows to about 14cm (not measuring its tail). Baboons and Mandrill species are the largest species, growing to 1 metre long or even a bit bigger.

8. Some monkeys have brightly coloured faces and bottoms! Madrills for example have red and blue faces and bottoms!

9. Most monkey species are active during the day, so are diurnal. A species called Owl Monkeys are active at night, so are nocturnal. They are also called night monkeys. Reminds me of a story!

10. Most monkeys like to eat plants, fruits, seeds, shoots, roots, and leaves. Some types of monkey also eat birds’ eggs, insects, and other small animals.