The word monkey has a variety of meanings. It can refer to a type of monkey (apes), a person who acts like a monkey, or a literary character, such as Curious George. The name is also used to describe a person who is silly or childish.
Monkeys are intelligent animals. They learn from their families and groups which plants are safe to eat, and which ones are poisonous. They sometimes smell or taste plants before eating them to determine the safety of the plant.
Most monkey species are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals. But the majority of the diets of these monkeys tilt heavily toward plant matter. For example, New World monkeys consume 95% of their calories from plant foods, while only 5% come from meat or invertebrates.
In the wild, monkeys spend most of their day looking for food. Foraging activities provide exercise and muscle building, which helps to balance the monkey’s caloric intake and energy expenditure.
While some monkeys are solitary, others live in small groups called troops. Troops can range in size from a few individuals to hundreds of monkeys. Many of the troops are monogamous and consist of parents and their immature offspring. However, unattached adult males may join a single-male troop until they can find a group of their own.
Monkeys eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as nuts and whole grains. For a healthy Monkey Diet, try to stay away from high-fat foods. For example, olive oil based pizzas, such as those with pesto sauce, are not good for the Monkey Diet because they are too high in fat.