Facts About Monkeys

monkey

Monkeys are omnivorous, and their diet includes nuts, fruit, leaves, flowers, vegetables, bark, roots, rodents and birds—pretty much whatever is available in their habitat. They’re very agile and can climb trees with ease, but they also like to scavenge for food on the ground and in water.

Most monkeys live in groups called troops, which can range from a few individuals to several thousand. Typically, troops consist of adult females with their young and a single male (as in hamadryas baboons, mandrills, most guenons, and langurs), although unattached males sometimes join troop groups. The troops are led by an alpha male or female. Like other primates, monkeys are highly social animals that communicate with each other using vocalizations and body language. For example, a monkey that bares its teeth might look like it’s smiling, but the display is actually a threat or sign of aggression.

Some monkey species are in decline. They face threats like habitat loss and fragmentation, the international pet trade, and hunting for bushmeat and traditional medicines.

At the TNPRC we care for infant monkeys until they can be placed with adoptive mothers or grandmothers. Our foster monkeys help them grow up into healthy, mature and social monkeys. Most monkeys become sexually mature at about 3 to 4 years of age, but they’re capable of breeding much earlier. They can live for up to 45 years in captivity. Like humans, monkeys have feelings of love and fear, as well as compassion and hatred. They can even remember and carry a grudge against someone who treats them unfairly, just like us!