Monkeys are fascinating creatures that many people have seen in zoos or in movies or TV, and they may dream of owning one someday. But owning a monkey is a full-time commitment and comes with risks, like the possibility that it might bite or cause property damage. There are also the concerns about diseases that can be transmitted from monkeys to humans, such as rabies and herpes B. Monkeys must have very large enclosures to live in because they tend to be curious and will get into things that could hurt them, including electrical cords, leashes, cleaning products and windows. They can’t be toilet trained, so they need to spend a lot of time outdoors in large areas with plenty of toys.
Monkeys use vocalizations, facial expressions and body language to communicate with each other, and they sometimes look for threats in the eyes of other monkeys to avoid fighting. They will also smell and taste plants to see if they are toxic or not, although some wild monkeys can be poisoned by eating certain flowers, such as angel’s trumpets and devil’s trumpets.
They eat just about anything that is available to them in the wild, depending on the season and their habitat. They will eat leaves, roots and twigs as well as fruit. If they cannot find enough food, some monkeys will even eat bugs and insects to stay alive. They can be found in rainforests, savannas and mountains, with some, such as geladas and golden monkeys and Japanese macaques, living in areas where it snows.