Monkeys: species, features. What kinds of monkeys are there?

How many species of monkeys live on our planet, what do they eat, what are the characteristics of their life? We read about all this with pleasure and watch TV programs. And this is not surprising, because we descended from a common ancestor. We have a lot of similarities not only in the appearance and structure of the skeleton, but also in behavior.

What kinds of monkeys are there?

Zoologists identify two groups of primates, and these animals are classified according to them. They are divided into Primates of the New and Old World. The first group includes monkeys living in Central and South America, and to the second - in Asia and Africa. And each group has its own distinctive features. New World monkeys have a tail that they can hold on to branches while moving through trees, and the nose is wide. African and Asian primates very often have no tail, but even if it is, the animals do not use it as a certain fifth limb, their nose is narrow. These two groups include more than one hundred and sixty species of monkeys.

Primates of South and Central America

In this area the following monkeys (species) live: monkeys, tamarins, capuchins, squirrel monkeys (56 species), owl and night monkeys, titi, sakis and Uakaris (41 species), howlers, spider and woolly monkeys.

African and Asian primates

On these continents there is the largest number of primates - more than 135 species. If you list all kinds of monkeys, the list will be great. They are grouped into broader categories: baboons, thin-boned, colobus, mandrill, macaques. There is another category that includes the following types of great apes: gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, bonobo (dwarf chimpanzee) and gibbon.

Tamarins

These monkeys belong to the family of game. They dwell in the warmest areas of South America: Brazil, Costa Rica, the Amazon basin. Tamarin is very easy to distinguish from other monkeys in appearance: the main characteristic feature is the mustache, although there are also beardless representatives of this species. Some have a straight lion's mane. And because of their very unusual appearance, these animals are constantly hunting - poachers catch tamarins for sale on the black market. That is why this species is threatened with extinction.

In length, the body of the tamarin reaches from eighteen to thirty-five centimeters, with a tail - from twenty-three to forty-four centimeters, they weigh up to a kilogram. If we list the species of small monkeys, then the tamarins will lead this list. Their main habitat is the highlands of Brazil. In these places, monkeys feel great: a mild humid climate, an abundance of food. Tamarines live in small groups of 5-10 individuals, so it's easier for them to find food and protect themselves from predators. At night, they sleep in tall trees, and with the onset of the morning they begin to lead an active lifestyle: they look for food, take care of each other.

Tamarins are omnivorous - they gladly eat lizards, snails, insects, bird eggs, and plant foods - leaves of trees, fruits, nuts and nectar. The extracted food is equally divided among all the members of the pack. If an alien is taken into their territory, they all expel him, creating frightening grimaces. The young are taken care of by the whole group. Babies up to the age of four months are constantly moving on the back of the father. Monkeys all the time talking with each other, thereby informing each other about the food found and the approach of the enemy.

Monkeys

These primates belong to the family of marmosets. These are very small and funny monkeys. Types of monkeys: real and green, hussar, talapone and others (total 23). Body size is usually small (like a cat), the coat is thick and very soft. The color of these monkeys is very diverse: olive, gray-green, light gray, brown, red, blue, black. Muzzles slightly elongated, some representatives of this species have mustaches, whiskers and beards. The tail is usually twice as long as the body. Sciatic corns of small sizes.

These primates live mainly in forests. Monkeys eat both plant food and animal food. The diet includes young branches of trees and leaves, fruits, luscious grass, insects and small vertebrates. From enemies, monkeys flee. It should be noted that the most dangerous for them are people who catch them for sale. Monkeys are well tamed, but for this it is necessary to take cubs. The adult monkey, being in captivity, practically does not give in to training.

Capuchins

In this genus of monkeys, more than thirty subspecies are united. The species of these primates form four groups. These monkeys live in Brazil and Honduras. Most of the time they spend on the tops of tall trees. The body length of the animal reaches fifty centimeters. The head is round, with prominent cheekbones. The color of the muzzle is usually pink or white. On the top of the head is a black crest, similar to the hood of Capuchin monks (in fact, because of this similarity, the animal got its name).

The primates live in groups of 10 to 30 individuals. Together they produce food, protect themselves from enemies and take care of the offspring. Capuchins are omnivorous: they eat both plant and animal food. It should be noted that these monkeys are very smart. They can split the nuts with a stone, beat fruit against the branches of trees. Catching a tree frog, scrape off the mucus, wiping off the tree. The young Capuchins spend up to three months on their mother's backs, crawling over their chests to feed the milk. From the age of six months they begin to lead a more independent way of life, eat adult food, but they do not go far from their mother.

Howler

The howlers are the largest primates in the New World. They are the size of a dog. These monkeys have a long and very tenacious tail, which they constantly use when moving through trees.

The primate's body is covered with thick, but short hair. The long coat is only on the head of a cone-shaped shape. The jaw protrudes forward, something resembling a dog. The neck is very short, so it seems that it is completely absent. Most of the life these primates spend on trees. In the daytime they get under the very tops, where they are looking for food, and for the night they go lower, settling for the night in the dense branches of small trees. The howlers are very afraid of water, because they absolutely can not swim.

Monkeys feed on buds of trees, leaves, succulent shoots and fruits. The howlers unite in flocks, which number from five to forty individuals. A female, as a rule, has one baby, which she feeds up to 18 months. Watching for the baby is helped by young animals and childless females.

Baboons

The second name is the yellow baboon. In length, the body reaches seventy-five centimeters, and the length of the tail is about sixty centimeters. Coat color is yellow - hence the name of the primacy. Inhabit the baboons in Eastern and Central Africa (in the mountain and steppe regions). They feed on, like most primates, plant and animal food. The diet of baboons includes bulbs, juicy grass, fruits, nuts, insects, lizards, bird eggs, etc.

Baboons never live alone. The group includes up to eighty individuals. There is a clear hierarchy in the school, several adult males dominate. In case of danger, they come to each other's aid. Friendly relations are established between males and offspring. Adult young females remain in the pack, but young males are forced to leave. It is interesting that often a herd of ungulates joins a flock of yellow baboons. The fact that baboons have very sharp eyesight, so they can warn in time about the danger.

Mandrills

This is the largest species of primates, not belonging to the group of great apes. They dwell in the territory of West Africa. Sexually mature males have a very beautiful and bright color. They have a red beard, a nose of bright pink color, and on the muzzle there are strips of blue. Female and young males do not have such a bright color. The weight of males sometimes reaches fifty-four kilograms. Females are much smaller.

The diet of primates includes both plant and animal food. The mandrills eat more than one hundred and thirteen species of plants.

These monkeys live in families that include one male and ten to fifteen females. Each family is assigned a territory of fifty square meters, which they mark with a fragrant secret. Pregnancy of females lasts two hundred and twenty days. Babies are born from April to December, at this time a lot of food, so the females have time to feed them. The connection between the mother and the baby is very long. Until three years the baby comes to sleep with his mother.

Gorillas

Gorillas are the largest anthropoid apes. These primates dwell in the moist forests of equatorial Africa. Until recently, the habitat of these monkeys was difficult to access. But the natives always knew about the neighborhood of these animals and tried not to meet with them, believing that they have a fierce temper.

The growth of gorillas reaches almost two meters, and weight - from one hundred forty to two hundred kilograms. The body has a square shape. The color of wool and leather is black. With age, the males grow gray on their backs. Like all primates, gorillas lead a daily life. They feed on these monkeys only with plant foods. They prefer stems and leaves, but fruits account for a small portion of the diet.

The gorillas are very calm, even phlegmatic, despite the frightening appearance. The female mates only with the leader of the herd, the pregnancy lasts eight and a half months. The baby first rides on the mother's back, and then walks by, holding on to her fur. Life expectancy is thirty-thirty-five years, but some individuals live for half a century.

The rarest species of monkeys

A person very negligently refers to the surrounding nature. Many animals were on the verge of extinction, including monkeys. Kinds of some of them include such a small number of individuals that scientists around the world are sounding the alarm. Thus, the Society for the Protection of Animals took under the care of drill - the primates, which are listed in the Red Book. The population of these animals is no more than ten thousand individuals. All monkeys (species do not matter) are exterminated by a man with catastrophic speed. And if this continues, the planet may lose these wonderful animals.

Pets

At present, a homemade monkey is not uncommon at all. Many pet stores sell these exotic animals. But it should be borne in mind that not all primate species are well established in the home. Here are some types of domestic monkeys that adapt well to captivity: tamarins, monkeys, gibbons, gambling, capuchins. These primates are unpretentious in their content, but it is necessary to adhere to certain rules. So, they should have a spacious cage, proper nutrition. Do not beat the animal and shout at it, otherwise it will close in itself, be aggressive and boring. In poor conditions, monkeys die very quickly.