Interesting Fact about Monkeys
Monkeys are the cute, lovable creatures that everyone adores. They are an animal that are part of the primate family. They typically have a long tail and prehensile feet. They come in all different sizes and shapes and live in rainforests in South America and Asia and also on the dry plains of Africa. Here are some other interesting facts about monkeys.
- There are two distinct groups of monkey- Old World Monkeys and New World Monkeys
- Apes are their own species and are not part of the monkey family
- Monkeys have tails, apes do not
- Monkeys use vocalizations, facial expressions, and body movements to communicate
- A group of monkeys is called a troop.
- The Pygmy Marmoset is the world’s smallest monkey. It measures 117-159 millimeters (four and a half to six inches) in length and weighs 85 to 140 grams (three to five ounces).
- The male Mandrill is the largest monkey. It is almost 1 meter (3.3 feet) long and weighs about 35 kilograms (77 pounds).
- Most monkeys eat both animals and plants. Some also eat dirt. Monkeys peel their bananas and do not eat the skins.
- Monkeys can grasp with their fingers and their toes and some can grasp using their tails
- South American Titi monkeys are rare among primates because they are monogamous. They mate for life and become distressed when separated. They show affection by remaining close, grooming each other, intertwining their tails, holding hands, nuzzling, cuddling, and lip smacking.
- Howler monkeys are the loudest monkeys. Their howls can be heard for about two miles in the forest and almost three miles in an open area.
- The tip of a spider monkey’s tail can support the weight of his entire body.
- A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend, Indiana
- Spider-monkeys have appeared in more films than any other breed of monkey.
- In Japan, where macaque monkey live, the winters are very cold. The Japanese macaques have shaggy coats to keep them warm and some keep out the cold by sitting in the hot water from volcanic springs
- Monkeys are known to carry tuberculosis, simian herpes B and hepatitis infections
- In Southeast Asia and Africa, monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy. The animals are also sold as ‘bush meat’.
- NASA flew a Rhesus macaque named ‘Sam’ to a height of 55 miles, in 1959. But 10 years earlier, Albert II – another Rhesus Monkey, became the first monkey in space aboard the V-2 rocket, in 1949.
- The Rhesus Macaque and Green Monkeys are a common sight at animal testing facilities around the world. These animals are captured and purpose-bred due to their fast reproductive cycle and physical and psychological similarity to humans
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