What is a Monkey?

monkey

Monkey is a general term that may refer to any mammal of the infraorder Primates, or simians. Monkeys are most often found in tropical rainforests, with many species living high up in the trees (known as arboreal). Their long tails help them balance and move from tree to tree. They have four long fingers on each hand and can grasp branches with them.

Monkeys are highly intelligent, with large brains and inquisitive natures. They explore emotions such as love, anger, sadness and joy, and are often able to communicate these with other monkeys in their troop. In captivity, monkeys are often very curious and can get into a lot of trouble if they aren’t kept busy.

Most monkeys are omnivorous and will eat fruits, leaves, flowers, bark, roots, seeds, lizards, insects and rodents. However, their diets can be very seasonal; proboscis monkeys for example eat more fruit from January to May and then switch to eating leaves in June. Some species also have more specialized diets; the colobus monkeys, for example, have complex stomachs to enable them to digest toxic foliage that other monkeys cannot.

Monkeys are highly social animals and live in groups called troops that are comprised of several females with their young, as well as one or more males (hamadryas baboons, mandrills, guenons, most langurs). Troops travel together in search for food, and traveling in groups helps to protect them from predators. Like humans and great apes, monkeys have a full reproductive system and menstrual cycle. Most monkeys, though not all, will leave the group of their birth to join new ones upon reaching maturity, in order to avoid inbreeding.