With their long tails, grasping hands and cheeky expressions, monkeys are perhaps the most familiar of all primates. But not everything that looks like a monkey is a monkey: the term actually refers to most members of a larger group called simiiformes, which includes mammals such as humans and gorillas. Some of these, such as chimpanzees and apes, lack tails and are classified separately as “great apes” or “apes.” But for the most part, monkeys have forward-facing eyes, flat noses and pads on their bottoms that help them grip branches. They are excellent climbers and most live in tropical forests, although geladas and golden monkeys inhabit mountains and rocky hillsides, while Japanese macaques spend the winter enjoying hot springs.
Monkeys are intelligent animals that use tools, can learn to grasp objects and, in some cases, understand numbers and count. They even make mental maps to efficiently travel through forests from one fruiting tree to another. In a study on the rainforest canopy, researchers used LiDAR (light detection and radar) technology to track the movements of three different monkey species. By studying the patterns of their movements, they were able to predict where each monkey would be at any given time.
Sadly, the wild lives of many monkeys are threatened by habitat loss and human activity. For example, some people hunt monkeys to sell as bushmeat or as pets, and this often causes the monkeys to be aggressive. Others are killed simply because they wander into farms or plantations, wreaking havoc on crops and attracting farmers’ attention. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is helping to support projects that help protect the world’s monkeys, including our own conservation fieldwork station in Cameroon, where vervet monkeys and other species are being well-protected.
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