Facts About Monkeys

All About Monkeys – Monkey Information
The definition of the word monkey is thought to have originated from a German telling of the Reynard the Fox fable from the late 1500′s. Within the fable there is a character named Moneke that’s the son of one other character named Martin the Ape. It is actually thought the original source of the word Moneke comes from the Italian word for a female ape, ‘monna’.
What exactly is a monkey? The word ‘monkey’ is a very broad classification to group species that are distantly related and have significantly differing characteristics.
Monkeys are classified under two main categories. These categories are cercopithecoid (old world monkeys) and platyrrhine (New World Monkeys), there are actually 264 known varieties of monkeys.

Among the various kinds of monkeys, some share similar characteristics. A large number of new world monkeys have prehensile tails and old world monkeys either don’t have a tail at all or non-prehensile tails. Some types of monkeys have similar vision to humans (trichromatic color) whilst others are monochromats or dichromats. The look of the faces of types of monkeys differ greatly, though each group do share some similar features and all have forward facing eyes, like apes.

Facts About Monkeys
On the whole, monkeys are thought to be intelligent creatures and they usually have tails, unlike apes. Some monkeys live in trees while others prefer to are living in open grassland. The diet of monkeys differs greatly amongst the different species. Leaves, seeds, fruit, nuts, small animals, eggs, insects and flowers are typical foods consumed by different species of monkeys.

The size of monkeys differs a lot, you’ll find small monkeys and there are large monkeys too. From the pygmy marmoset only 5-6 inches long, weighing from 120 – 140gms, to the Mandrill, which often can grow up to 3.3 feet long and may weight as much as 35kg.

Monkeys and Humans
The relationship between humans and monkeys differs greatly, according to the situation. Some are utilized as test subjects on things such as space missions, others are used as model organisms in laboratories, while many are kept as family pets. Monkeys may also be used to aid disabled people.In some areas, particular species of monkeys are considered agricultural pests and may even be wiped out in drives to reduce destruction of crops. This sometimes results in persecution, due to conservation of endangered types of monkeys.
Monkeys are often viewed as pests in circumstances where they may have become habituated to humans and also have been known to attack tourists. This is why in religion and culture they are usually depicted as a representation of mischief and wits.