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Monkeys are members of the primate
groups: Old World monkeys and New
World monkeys. Almost monkey species
are tropical or subtropical, and
almost all are diurnal. Most monkeys
are arboreal. They can sit upright
and stand erect. There are approximately
264 known species of Monkeys in
the world.
Monkey Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorrhini
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Foreign Words for Monkey
Afrikaans: Aap
Albanian: Majmun
Columbian: Simio
Czech: Opicak / Opice
Danish: Abe /Abekat
Dutch: Aap / Apin
Egyptian: Qephi
Estonian: Pardik / Ahv
Faroese: Apa
Finnish: Apina
French: Guenon
German: Affe
Hungarian: Majom
Icelandic: Api
Indonesian: Kera / Monyet
Irish: Moncai / Mwnci
Italian: Scimmia
Latin: Simia / Simius
/ Simius / Simius / Simia
Latvian: Merkakis
Lithuanian: Bezdzione
Malay: Monyet
Maltese: Xadin / Xadina
/ Kitmejmun Gitmejmun
Mexican: Mico
Navajo: Magi / Magi
Old Norse: Api
Polish: Malpa
Portuguese: Macaco
Sardinian: Moninca
Roman: Majmun
Slovak: Opica
Slovenian: Opica
Spanish: Mono / Chango
Swahili: Tumbili
Swedish: Apa
Tagalog: Unggoy / Tsonggo
Turkish: Maymun
Turkmen: Maymyn
Welsh: Mwnci
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Size: The smallest monkey
is the Pygmy Marmoset at 4.6 to
6 inches in length and weighing
only 3 to 5 ounces. The largest
monkey is the Baboon at 3.6 feet
tall and weighing up to 80 lbs.
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New World
Monkeys
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Old World
Monkeys
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Nose
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Flat Nose
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Down Facing
Nose
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Nostrils
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Nostrils Far
Apart and Open to Side
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Nostrils Close
Together and Face Down or
Forward
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Tail
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Prehensile
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Not Prehensile
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Litter
Size
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More than
One
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Usually One
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Location
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Central America,
South America
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Africa, Asia,
India, Japan
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Care of
Young
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Male Involvement
Common
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Male Involvement
Rare (except: Gibbons &
Siamangs)
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Cheeks
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No Cheek Pouches
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Cheek Pouches
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Habitat: Old World monkeys
are found in Africa, central to
southern Asia, Japan, and India.
Old World monkeys are found in rain
forests, islands, steppes, mountains,
and savannas, depending on species.
New World monkeys are found in
Central America and South America,
except for the very high altitude
mountainous regions. New World monkeys
prefer the tropical rain forests
and scrublands.
Behavior: Monkeys have many
different adaptations, depending
on their habitat. Most monkeys are
arboreal but some like the macaques
and baboons are terrestrial.
Diet: Monkeys eat fruit,
grass, leaves, eggs, insects and
spiders, depending on the species.
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Communication: Monkeys
use vocalizations, facial
expressions, and body movements
to communicate.
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Did
You Know?
Monkeys also have
their own unique
set of fingerprints
just like humans.
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Birth: Newborn monkeys are
helpless at birth.
Sexually Mature: Monkeys
sexually mature from 18 months to
8 years, depending on the species.
Life Span: Monkeys have
a life span of 10 to 50 years depending
on the species.
Social Structure: Groups
of monkeys are called troups. Monkeys
are very social animals. Monkeys
express affection and make peace
with others by grooming each other.
Grooming helps monkeys keep their
fur clean of dirt, dead skin, and
parasites, but it also helps them
to build social relationships.
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