Monkey Post

Their striking features, human-like appearance and quirky behavior makes them both fascinating and beautiful. Monkey Habitat
With over 260 species of monkey in the world, you can find them on almost every continent. From the tropical rain-forests of the Amazon to the cold and snowy mountains of Asia, monkeys are one of the most widespread animal groups. In the Amazon rainforest of South America, y

ou will find many different monkey species. Small primates like Capuchins, Tamarins and Marmosets share the hot and humid jungle with larger species such as Howlers, Titis and Spider Monkeys. In contrast, there just as many species living in Asia. Most like in tropical habitats, but some live in mountain regions where the winter temperatures are cold and snow is common. The Atlas mountains of Africa are snow covered for at least 4 months of the year. Barbary Macaques use natural hot springs to bathe and stay warm. Monkey Anatomy
Most monkey species are arboreal, which means they spend most of their time in the trees. To be able to navigate among the treetops, monkeys have long prehensile tails and long arms. ‘Prehensile’ means functional. Most monkeys can use their tail like an extra limb, wrapping it around branches and swinging from it. Their strong arms also help to support their body weight will the move from tree to tree. Monkeys have very similar facial features to humans. Their eyes are set in the front of their face, so their cannot see to the side or behind them. Most monkeys also have trichromatic vision, meaning they can see colour. The hands are also very similar to our own. They have opposable thumbs, which means they can use their thumbs like fingers. The difference between monkeys and humans, is that they can use their feet like hands as well! Rather than having 5 toes like we do, monkeys have a digit on their foot similar to a thumb. Monkey Feeding
Monkeys are omnivores, meaning they eat fruit, berries and insects. A small number of monkey species will even eat small rodents or lizards that have recently died. The majority of a monkey diet is formed from fruits and berries. They use sticks to dig for termites and they can open coconuts by throwing them against trees or bashing them with a rock! They will also browse on certain types of leaves. Monkeys that live in tropical jungles can get enough water each day just from the food they eat. They will, however, go looking for water sources and will use their hands or small leaves to scoop water into their mouths. Monkey Reproduction
Monkeys do not have a set breeding season like other animals. A female can fall pregnant at any time. Monkeys have a strict hierarchy and only the dominant male of a group will father children. If a lone male beats the group leader in a fight, the new male will kill any youngsters as this makes the females more likely to want to mate. Generally, females reach breeding age before males. Smaller monkeys are able to breed at a younger age, whereas larger species take longer to mature. Pregnancy usually last a few months and a mother will give birth to one baby. Occasionally, she may have twins. Like humans, female monkeys will start to produce milk before their baby is born and will breastfeed their young until they are old enough to wean onto solid food. Within a group, a mother may allow other monkeys in the group to babysit. This is more common when a mother has twins. Monkey Evolution
Our closest living relatives among monkeys is the Chimpanzee. Human and chimp lineage split approximately 6 million years ago, so we became 2 distinct species. Gorillas also share a lot of DNA with us. Our common ancestor split from Gorillas around 8 million years ago. Most evidence of monkey evolution points to changes in the environment being the main cause. It is possible that most monkeys were similar in size to gorillas, humans or chimps, but over time, the environment meant smaller monkeys survived longer or were more successful.