Monkeys are incredibly intelligent animals that are fun to watch and can make great companions for humans, but they must be kept in loving homes and have all of their needs met. They have the ability to love, fear, and even hate just like human beings. They do have feelings of jealousy, and they are very sly and sneaky when it comes to getting what they want from other monkeys or even people.
Monkeys often live in a group called a troop, and they travel together when searching for food. Monkeys are mostly omnivorous and eat nuts, fruits, leaves, flowers, bark, roots, vegetables, rodents, birds, and insects—pretty much anything they can find in their habitats. They have specialized cheek pouches that allow them to carry food and water, and they communicate with one another using scents and calls.
Some Old World monkeys, such as squirrel monkeys, have opposable thumbs that they use to hold on to tree branches and other items. Other Old World monkeys, such as marmosets and rhesus macaques, lack thumbs and use their toes to grasp things. In the New World, baboons and mandrills have opposable thumbs.
Most monkeys breed seasonally and give birth after a gestation period that is about 160 to 170 days. They may live in troops that are related to them, or they can join a troop when they become mature and have no ties with the original group.
Monkeys are a common sight in many countries and can be found at zoos, botanical gardens, and other public attractions. They also play a role in entertainment, such as in the television shows Monkey and Curious George, and in literature, including Sun Wukong in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. In addition, some monkeys are kept as pets, and others are used in scientific research, such as cynomolgus macaques.