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Monkeys

On this page:

What Are Primates?

Featured Monkeys

What's the Difference Between New World and Old World Monkeys?

Macaques Need Friends

Why Are There Monkeys and Apes in North America?

Trouble in Lemur Land - video

 

What Are Primates?

Primates are placental mammals that typically have flexible hands and feet with opposable thumbs, fingernails, good eyesight (forward facing color vision), and, especially in the higher apes, highly developed brains.

There are 625 species and subspecies of primates. One-fourth could be extinct within 20 years.

The biological order of Primates is divided into the following classifications:

Great Apes: orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, lowland gorillas, mountain gorillas, humans

Lesser Apes: Gibbons

Higher Primates: Neotropical Primates or New World Monkeys, from the Americas; Old World Monkeys, from Africa and Asia

Prosimians: the oldest, most “primitive” order of primates, includes lorises, pottos, bush babies, tarsiers and lemurs


Featured Monkeys

In this growing collection of articles from our Staying Connected newsletters, Letters From the Field blog and creative pieces written by our volunteers, you will learn about a wide variety of monkey and ape species; their physical characteristics, habitats, diets, social behaviors, communication styles, and conservation status, plus beautiful photos and videos. Click on the thumbnail photo of the primate that you'd like to read about.
Tufted Brown Capuchin

Colobus Monkey

Gelada

Western Lowland Gorilla - Wild Ape

Western Lowland Gorilla - Captive Ape

Hanuman Langur

Mouse Lemur

Slow Loris

Japanese Snow Macaque

Long Tail Macaque

 

Rhesus Macaque

Sanje Mangabey

Orangutan

(Ape, not Monkey!)

Owl or Night Monkey

Proboscis Monkey

Spider Monkey

Squirrel Monkey

Tarsier

Tonkin's Snub-Nosed Monkey

Woolly Monkey


What’s the Difference Between New World and Old World Monkeys?

New World Monkeys are found from southern Mexico to central South America, except in the high mountains. They are more primitive than Old World monkeys. Their brains are less complex, their thumbs, when present, are not opposable, and their nostrils are further apart and tend to point outward. Most have 36 teeth. They have slender bodies and limbs with long narrow hands. Most have a prehensile or partially prehensile tail.

New World monkeys include marmosets, tamarins, capuchins, spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys, the saki, and the uakari.

Old World Monkeys are found in southern Asia, with a few species as far north as Japan and northern China, and in all of Africa except the deserts. The tails of Old World monkeys are never prehensile. Their nostrils are close together and tend to point downward. Many species have cheek pouches to hold food, and many have thick pads on their buttocks. They have 32 teeth. Old World monkeys are more closely related to the apes and humans than they are to the new world monkeys.

Old World monkeys include the many species of macaque, baboons, mandrills, mangabeys, colobus monkeys, langurs, leaf monkeys, proboscis monkeys, and guenons.


Macaques Need Friends

Help Save Macaque Monkeys

With a few simple clicks of your mouse you can help return

thousands of captive macaques to their Indonesian habitats

 

For more information about macaques:

View Our Video Tribute to Macaques:

Macaque, The Ultimate Survivor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Featured Monkeys:

Long-Tailed Macaque

Rhesus Macaque

Japanese Snow Macaque

Read Letters From the Field blog:

Why Are Millions of Macaques Coming Out of Southeast Asia?

Animals in the News:

Conservationists Sound Alarm Over Macaque


Why Are There Monkeys and Apes in North America?

Wild animals fascinate us all. Primates are particularly intriguing because they remind us of ourselves. Since seeing them in their natural habitats is unlikely for most of us, they are brought to us to satisfy our curiosity and interest. Since we are primates, monkeys and apes are used in research on our behalf.

Nonhuman primates, mostly monkeys, are imported into the US by the tens of thousands annually. At the same time, they are bred here for trade, entertainment, research and display. Many are kept in inadequate, even squalid conditions. Many are recycled as they become uncooperative pets, too old for entertainment, surplused from zoos, or no longer needed in research. If they are lucky their keepers seek sanctuary for them at the end of their service.

These may not seem like common problems, especially in New England. It may be surprising to learn that over 13,000 monkeys live in the conspicuously not-tropical northeastern climate of New England. Our booming biotechnology and medical industries use thousands of primates in research -- over 25,000 in the northeast. That's one-fourth of the nation's total. Learn more about the numbers of nonhuman primates in the United States on our FAQs page.

Despite their numbers, there are fewer than a dozen accredited primate sanctuaries in North America. Most sanctuaries are filled to capacity. New England Primate Sanctuary is the only primate sanctuary in the northeast. Thousands of monkeys need placement and the need continues to grow. Once captive, they cannot be returned to their wild roots. Find out why on our FAQs page. The outlook for their futures is dismal UNLESS we produce reasonable and humane options. Although captivity is never natural, sanctuary provides a more natural alternative for their captive lives.


Trouble In Lemur Land

Excellent video about the noble efforts of primatologist Erik Patel and his team to protect the critically endangered silky sifaka and its equally delicate habitat .

Trouble in Lemur Land from Erik R Patel on Vimeo.


   

      

 

 

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