Monkey

Approximate worldwide distribution of monkeys.

Cynomolgus Monkey at Batu Caves, Malaysia

Monkeys, Mori Sosen (1749-1821)

A monkey is any member of two of the three groupings of simian primates. These two groupings are the New World monkeys, which live in Mexico, Central America, and South America, and Old World monkeys, which are found in Africa, central to southern Asia, Japan, and India. There are more than 250 extant species between the two groups.

Marmots and tamarins make up the third group. These primates live in Central America and South America, but they are not in the same family as New World monkeys. Apes such as chimpanzees and gibbons are sometimes incorrectly called monkeys ecause of their similarity to monkeys. Also, a few monkey species have the word "ape" in their common name. Monkeys are not a single coherent group and therefore do not have any particular traits that they all share.

Characteristics

Monkeys range from the size of a mouse to that of a medium-size dog. The Pygmy Marmoset, for instance, is only about five inches (14 centimeters) long, including its tail, and weighs four to five ounces (120 to 140 grams). The male mandrill, on the other hand, measures almost three feet (one meter) in length and weighs 75 pounds (35 kilograms). Some monkeys are arboreal (living in trees), while others, like macaques and baboons, spend more time on the ground. Diets, which differ among the various species, may include: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, insects, spiders, eggs, and small animals such as bats. All monkeys use their hands and feet for holding onto branches.

The species within each group share some general characteristics.

• Tails: most New World monkeys have prehensile tails (adapted for grasping or holding) , while Old World monkeys do not.
• Noses: most New World monkeys are flat nosed and have round nostrils set far apart; Old World monkeys have downfacing noses and their nostrils are curved and set closer together.
• Teeth: New World monkeys have three premolars; Old World monkeys have two premolars.
• Rump pads: also called sitting pads, some Old World monkeys are supported by these thickly coulloused areas of skin while they sit
• Cheek pouches: Some Old World monkeys, such as macaques, have cheek pouches to store food so it can be eaten later; New World monkeys do not have these structures.
• Hands: New World Mnokeys' thumbs are in line with the other digits, and some species have toenails on the big toe; the thumbs of Old World monkeys are rotateed and more opposable, like humans', and all have fingernails and toenails on every digit.

Name

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name "monkey" may come from a German version of the Reynard the Fox fable, published in around 1580. In this version, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape. The word Moneke may have been derived from the Italian monna, which means "a female ape." The name Moneke persisted over time likely due to the popularity of Reynard the Fox.

A group of monkeys may be referred to as a mission of monkeys or a tribe of monkeys.

Classification

Monkeys in Kam Shan Country Park of Hong Kong

The following lists shows where the various monkey families are placed in the primate classification. Note that the smallest grouping that contains them all is the simiiformes, the simians, which also contains the apes. Calling an ape a monkey is incorrect. Calling either a simian is correct.

Technically, the distinction of catarrhines (Old World monkeys) from platyrrhines (New World monkeys) depends on the structure of the nose, and the distinction of Old World monkeys from apes depends on dentition (the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth).

• ORDER PRIMATES
  • Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
  • Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes
    • Infraorder Tarsiiformes
      • Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers
    • Infraorder Simiiformes: simians
      • Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
      • Catarrhini
        • Superfamily Cercopithecoidea
          • Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys
        • Superfamily Hominoidea: apes
          • Family Hylobatidae: gibbons ("lesser apes")
          • Family Hominidae: humans and other great apes

Old World monkeys

? Old World monkeys
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorrhini Superfamily: Cercopithecoidea Gray, 1821 Family: Cercopithecidae Gray, 1821
Subfamilies
Cercopithecinae - 11 genera Colobinae - 10 genera

The Old World monkeys or Cercopithecidae are a group of primates, falling in two subfamilies in the clade Catarrhini (Groves 2001). The Cercopithecinae are mainly African but include the diverse genus of macaques that live in Asia and North Africa, and the Colobinae make up most of the Asian genera but also include the African colobus monkeys. From the point of view of superficial appearance, they are unlike apes in that most have tails (the family name means "tailed ape"), and unlike the New World monkeys in that their tails are never prehensile.

Several Old World monkeys have anatomical oddities. Colobus monkeys have a stub for a thumb. The proboscis monkey has an extraordinary nose while snub-nosed monkeys have almost no nose at all. Male mandrills have a red penis and lilac-colored scrotum, and their faces also have bright coloration. Alpha males, the dominant male in a group with several males, have the brightest coloration.

The Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia today, but are also known from Europe in the fossil record. They include many of the most familiar species of non-human primates.

Classification

• Catarrhini
  • Superfamily Cercopithecoidea
    • Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys
      • Subfamily Cercopithecinae: mandrills, baboons, macaques, mangabeys
      • Subfamily Colobinae: colobus, langurs

New World monkeys

? New World monkeys
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorrhini Infraorder: Simiiformes (unranked) Platyrrhini E. Geoffroy, 1812
Families
Cebidae Aotidae Pitheciidae Atelidae

The New World monkeys are the four families of primates that are found in Central and South America: the Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae (Groves 2001). The four families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini clade. They differ from other groupings of monkeys and primates, such as the Old World monkeys and the apes.

All New World monkeys differ slightly from Old World monkeys in many aspects, but the most prominent of which is the nose. This is the feature used most commonly to distinguish between the two groups. The scientific name for New world monkey, Platyrrhini, means "flat nosed", therefore the noses are flatter, with side facing nostrils, compared to the narrow noses of the Old World monkey. Most New world monkeys have long, often prehensile tails. Many are small, arboreal (live in trees) and nocturnal (active at night), so scientists' knowledge of them is less comprehensive than that of the more easily observed Old World monkeys. Unlike most Old World monkeys, many New World monkeys form monogamous pairs, and show substantial paternal care of young.

Classification

• Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
  • Family Cebidae: marmosets, tamarins, capuchins and squirrel monkeys
  • Family Aotidae: night or owl monkeys (douroucoulis)
  • Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris
  • Family Atelidae: howler, spider and woolly monkeys

Monkeys in captivity

On boats

When the British first began to explore Africa, young monkeys were often captured to provide entertainment during long voyages. Some were later transferred to domestic zoos, and in fact many modern captive monkeys in the United Kingdom are descended from individuals captured during the Napoleonic and Victorian eras. According to legend, one of the early British captive monkeys was lost at sea during the Napoleonic Wars and washed up ashore near Hartlepool, England, where it was mistaken for a Frenchman and hanged. The people of Hartlepool have since borne the nickname "monkey hangers."

As pets

Many people believe that monkeys should not be kept as pets. The animals have been known to become agressive as they age, even toward their owners. Monkeys raised as pets are often given to zoos and sanctuaries when they get older, though some people report having long and rewarding relationships with monkeys.

In most large metropolitan areas in the U.S. it is illegal to keep monkeys in private homes; even in places where they are legal, a permit from the United States Department of Agriculturepermit is usually required. Their legal status as pets varies in other countries.

In laboratories

Macaques, especially rhesus monkeys, and African green monkeys are widely used in animal testing facilities. This is primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to apes), and their psychological and physical similarity to humans. In the United States, around 50,000 non-human primates, most of them monkeys, have been used in experiments every year since 1973 (Animal Welfare Act 2004); 10,000 monkeys were used in the European Union in 2004.

Use of monkeys in laboratories is highly controversial. Many claim that the practice is cruel and produces little information of value, and there have been many protests and instances of vandalism against it. However, defenders of testing on monkeys say that the research has led to many important medical breakthroughs, and that the prevention of harm to humans should be a higher priority than the harm done to monkeys. The topic has become a popular cause for animal rights groups.

Monkeys in culture

Sun Wukong and Hanuman, figures prominent in Chinese mythology and Hindu mythology, respectively, are monkeys.

Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The television series Monkey, the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples.

However, pop culture often incorrectly labels apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas, as monkeys. Terry Pratchett makes use of this trait in his Discworld novels, in which the Librarian of the Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey.

Zodiac

The Monkey is the ninth in the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac sign will be in the year 2016.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Animal Welfare Act Inspections, Fiscal Year 2004. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/awreports/awreport2004.pdf. (accessed September 29, 2006)
• Fleagle, J. G. 1987. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0887065872
• Groves, C. P. 2001. Primate Taxonomy. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 156098872X

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Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

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• History of "Monkey"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.