Monkeys use their long tails to grasp items as they forage in trees, on cliffs, in the snow, and in desert-like savannas. Their prehensile tails also hold on as monkeys swing from branch to branch or across rivers. Monkeys eat leaves, fruit, seeds, flowers, insects, birds’ eggs and spiders, and some kinds of meat like young antelope or pigeons. They carry food in their large cheek pouches or chew and swallow it whole.
Monkeys have complex social interactions in their groups, ranging from gentle, playful, and affectionate to aggressive. They communicate with facial expressions and body movements, as well as vocalizations. Staring at another monkey signals aggression to macaques, who often fight over territory or items. Staring down or away lets them avoid eye contact and prevents confrontation. Vocalizations like barks, screams, grunts, squeaks, wails and hoots help them get the message across.
When a monkey starts to show aggression, they usually make eye contact with the aggressor and display bared teeth, which looks like a smile to humans. Other body language that is interpreted as aggression by macaques includes blinking and exaggerated yawning. A person should back away from a monkey who shows signs of aggression and stay out of their territory.
Many people keep monkeys as pets and others use them as laboratory animals or as service animals for the disabled. In the wild, monkeys may be killed in “monkey drives” when they are perceived as threats to agriculture or to local residents. The monkey is a symbol of courage, strength and longevity in some cultures, including the Indian god Hanuman and Chinese legend Sun Wukong.