Featured Monkey

Capuchin Monkeys are very intelligent and easy to train, and they are one of the most common monkeys that are used as pets, therapy animals and trained entertainers. They can be found in their natural habitat in Central and South America. They live in rainforests and spend the majority of their time in trees. They are incredible jumpers and can leap up to 10 feet. Capuchins are small – weighing 3-9 pounds and reaching 12-22 inches in length.

Monkeys

Monkeys can leap playful somersaults or swing from trees. They are highly intelligent animals with human-like personalities.

There are at least 131 species of monkeys. Monkeys range in size from 5 inches to over 3 feet in length (not including the tail). The Pygmy Marmoset is the smallest species of monkey while the Mandrill is the largest. Chimpanzees and gibbons are often misclassified as monkeys by the general public; however, they are actually apes.

Most monkeys live in groups and develop close relationships with one another. Some monkeys live in trees while others live in grassy flatlands and mountainous areas. Most monkeys eat fruit, flowers, leaves, berries, nuts and insects as their primary diet. Some also eat small animals. Monkeys have long life spans compared to many other animals and can live in the wild for more than 20 years

Monkeys are found throughout the world in Southern Mexico, Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and South and East Asia. Monkeys found in Africa, the Middle East and South and East Asia are called Old World monkeys and monkeys found in Southern Mexico, Central and South America are called New World monkeys.

New World monkeys spend most of their time living in trees in tropical forests and they mainly eat fruit and vegetables. They also have prehensile tails which allows them to use their tails to grab and hold on to things. Old World monkeys live in a wide range of territories including trees and grassy flatlands and they eat both plants and animals. They do not have prehensile tails.

Monkeys share some similarities with humans such as being members of the order of Primates which also includes lemurs and apes. They are also highly intelligent social animals that show feelings of affection and they have thumbs that can grasp things like humans. They also have very large brains. Capuchin monkeys are some of the most intelligent monkeys. They have the largest brain-to-body size ratio of all primates with the exception of humans. Like people, monkeys also have stereoscopic vision which allows them to see three-dimensional images and estimate the distance of objects.

More than 50% of monkey species are endangered at this time. They are disappearing as humans expand into their territories by clearing trees and building homes in areas that were once there homes.

Help Monkeys Survive

Sadly, not all monkeys are cherished and loved. In some areas, monkeys are considered pests and killed by farmers. Others are hunted by poachers, or trapped and sold as pets. However, an even larger threat to monkeys is the loss of habitat due to lumbering. When the monkeys’ primary homes, rainforests, are cut down; they often have nowhere to go. You can help combat this, by not purchasing anything that was made from natural resources found in the rain forests unless the wood has been certified with a label describing how it helps the rain forest. Finally, buying recycled products help ensure that monkeys will have homes for years to come. A terrific organization that can provide further information on how to help monkeys is called “The Monkey Sanctuary”, and they can be found here: http://www.monkeysanctuary.org/