Facts About Monkeys

monkeys

Monkeys are a group of primate animals, members of the Haplorrhini suborder and simian infraorder (excluding apes). These mammals are highly social, forming troops consisting of several adult females with young and a single male, or many adult females and one or more males.

They have long, prehensile tails that allow them to climb and hold on. They also have strong, powerful arms that can swing from limb to limb and leap high into the air.

Old World monkeys primarily eat fruit, leaves, and insects; they also eat grass, birds, small mammals, eggs, and spiders. Some Old World monkeys, such as howler and colobus, have long digestive tracts for absorbing hard-to-digest leaf nutrients. Capuchin and langur monkeys, on the other hand, eat both grasses and fruits, as well as insects and small animals.

In the wild, monkeys usually live about 10 years. In captivity, they can live for up to 30 years or more.

Monkeys are able to survive when their habitat is disrupted, but they may stop mating or consuming food. They are particularly vulnerable to hunting and logging, as these activities damage the trees they need to feed on.

Mothers will typically nurse their babies for months, and then they can become independent. Marmosets and tamarins have very different parenting styles: The fathers almost always carry the babies on their backs, allowing the mothers to forage alone!

Most species give birth about once a year. The mother will cling to the baby, protecting the child from predators and giving him a chance to develop. The infants are very active, spending much of their waking hours playing.