Monkey Trivia | 30 facts about the animal

It is falsely believed that humans are descented from monkeys even though we share a common ape ancestor. Despite that, monkeys are very cute animals.

So, we are about to find out more about these cute animals!

1. Monkey is a common name that may refer to groups or species of mammals.
2. In part, the simians of infraorder Simiiformes.
3. The term is applied descriptively to groups of primates, such as families of New World monkeys and Old World monkeys.
4. Many monkey species are tree-dwelling (arboreal), although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons.
5. Most species are mainly active during the day (diurnal). Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent, especially the Old World monkeys of Catarrhini.
6. Simians and tarsiers emerged within haplorrhines some 60 million years ago.
7. New World monkeys and catarrhine monkeys emerged within the simians some 35 million years ago. Old World monkeys and Hominoidea emerged within the catarrhine monkeys some 25 million years ago.
8. Extinct basal simians such as Aegyptopithecus or Parapithecus [35-32 million years ago], eosimiidea and sometimes even the Catarrhini group are also considered monkeys by primatologists.
9. Lemurs, lorises, and galagos are not monkeys; instead they are strepsirrhine primates. Like monkeys, tarsiers are haplorhine primates. However, they are also not monkeys.
10. Apes emerged within “monkeys” as sister of the Cercopithecidae in the Catarrhini, so cladistically they are monkeys as well.
11. There has been resistance to directly designate apes (and thus humans) as monkeys, so “Old World monkey” may be taken to mean the Cercopithecoidea or the Catarrhini.
12. That apes are monkeys was already realized by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in the 18th century.
13. Monkeys, including apes, can be distinguished from other primates by having only two pectoral nipples, a pendulous penis, and a lack of sensory whiskers.
14. Several monkeys are included on the IUCN’s list of the 25 most endangered primates.
15. Some of the most critically endangered Old World monkeys include the roloway monkey, the Niger Delta red colobus, and Cat Ba langur; only 50 individuals of the latter remain
16. Grooming rituals not only keep monkeys healthy, they also strengthen their social bonds.
17. Researchers discovered another benefit of grooming. When vervet monkeys comb each other’s pelt, it fluffs the fur and makes it thicker.
18. After a thorough grooming, the insulation value of the vervet monkey’s pelt increases by as much as 50 percent
19. Only New World monkeys in the Atelidae family, like howler monkeys and spider monkeys, and capuchins in the Cebidae family, have prehensile tails.
20. These arboreal primates live in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Old World monkeys live in Asia and Africa, have tails, but they are not prehensile.
21. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word “monkey” may originate in a German version of the Reynard the Fox fable, published circa 1580.
22. In this version of the fable, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape.
23. In English, no very clear distinction was originally made between “ape” and “monkey”. Thus the 1911 Encycloaedia Britannica entry for “ape” notes that it is either a synonym for “monkey” or is used to mean a tailless humanlike primate.
24. Colloquially, the terms “monkey” and “ape” are widely used interchangeably. Also, a few monkey species have the word “ape” in their common name, such as the Barbary ape.
25. While most Barbary macaques inhabit the mountains of Morocco and Algeria, a small population of around 200 individuals was introduced and is maintained in Gibraltar.
26. DNA analysis shows that these macaques, which have been in Gibraltar for many centuries, were originally imported from Northern Africa.
27. Pygmy marmosets (Callithrix pygmaea) live in groups of two to six individuals and monogamous pairs share parental duties. Females give birth to one to three babies, which frequently include fraternal twins.
28. Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), which live in the tropical rainforests of central west Africa, are easily recognizable because of the vibrant coloration of their faces and behinds.
29. Bald uakari have striking red faces. Scientists have found anecdotal evidence that suggests that the brighter the face, the healthier these New World monkeys are.
30. Individuals that are ill , often with malaria, which is prevalent in their rainforest habitat, exhibit a paler skin tone.