Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the
infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the
ape
Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its siste ...
s, which constitutes an incomplete
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
grouping; however, in the broader sense based on
cladistics
Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...
, apes (Hominoidea) are also included, making the terms ''monkeys'' and ''simians'' synonyms in regards to their scope.
In 1812,
Geoffroy grouped the
apes
Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...
and the
Cercopithecidae
Old World monkey is the common English name for a family of primates known taxonomically as the Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons ...
group of monkeys together and established the name
Catarrhini, "Old World monkeys", ("''singes de l'Ancien Monde''" in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
).
The extant sister of the Catarrhini in the monkey ("singes") group is the
Platyrrhini (New World monkeys).
Some nine million years before the divergence between the Cercopithecidae and the apes, the Platyrrhini emerged within "monkeys" by migration to South America likely by ocean.
Apes are thus deep in the tree of extant and extinct monkeys, and any of the apes is distinctly closer related to the Cercopithecidae than the Platyrrhini are.
Many monkey species are tree-dwelling (
arboreal), although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as
baboons. Most species are mainly active during the day (
diurnal). Monkeys are generally
considered to be intelligent, especially the Old World monkeys.
Within suborder
Haplorhini
Haplorhini (), the haplorhines (Greek for "simple-nosed") or the "dry-nosed" primates, is a suborder of primates containing the tarsiers and the simians (Simiiformes or anthropoids), as sister of the Strepsirrhini ("moist-nosed"). The name is some ...
, the simians are a sister group to the
tarsier
Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ...
s – the two members diverged some 70 million years ago.
New World monkeys and catarrhine monkeys emerged within the simians roughly 35 million years ago. Old World monkeys and apes emerged within the catarrhine monkeys about 25 million years ago. Extinct basal simians such as ''
Aegyptopithecus'' or ''
Parapithecus
''Parapithecus'' is an extinct genus of primate that lived during the Late Eocene- Earliest Oligocene in what is now Egypt. Its members are considered to be basal anthropoids and the genus is closely related to ''Apidium
The genus ''Apidium'' ...
'' (35–32 million years ago) are also considered monkeys by primatologists.
Lemurs,
lorises
Loris is the common name for the strepsirrhine mammals of the subfamily Lorinae (sometimes spelled Lorisinae) in the family Lorisidae. ''Loris'' is one genus in this subfamily and includes the slender lorises, ''Nycticebus'' is the genus contain ...
, and
galagos are not monkeys, but
strepsirrhine primates (suborder Strepsirrhini). The simians'
sister group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
, the tarsiers, are also haplorhine primates; however, they are also not monkeys.
Apes emerged within monkeys as sister of the Cercopithecidae in the Catarrhini, so cladistically they are monkeys as well. However, there has been resistance to directly designate apes (and thus humans) as monkeys, so "Old World monkey" may be taken to mean either the Cercopithecoidea (not including apes) or the Catarrhini (including apes).
That apes are monkeys was already realized by
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in the 18th century.
Linnaeus placed this group in 1758 together with the tarsiers, in a single genus "''
Simia
In his '' Systema Naturae'' of 1758, Carl Linnaeus divided the Order Primates within ''Mammalia'' into four genera: ''Homo'', ''Simia'', ''Lemur'', and ''Vespertilio''. His ''Vespertilio'' included all bats, and has since been moved from Primates ...
''" (sans ''
Homo
''Homo'' () is the genus that emerged in the (otherwise extinct) genus ''Australopithecus'' that encompasses the extant species ''Homo sapiens'' ( modern humans), plus several extinct species classified as either ancestral to or closely relate ...
''), an ensemble now recognised as the Haplorhini.
Monkeys, including apes, can be distinguished from other primates by having only two pectoral nipples, a pendulous penis, and a lack of sensory
whiskers
Vibrissae (; singular: vibrissa; ), more generally called Whiskers, are a type of stiff, functional hair used by mammals to touch, sense their environment. These hairs are finely specialised for this purpose, whereas other types of hair are c ...
.
Historical and modern terminology
![Portrait of a father](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Portrait_of_a_father.jpg)
According to the ''
Online Etymology Dictionary'', the word "monkey" may originate in a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
version of the ''
Reynard the Fox'' fable, published circa 1580. In this version of the fable, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape.
In English, no clear distinction was originally made between "ape" and "monkey"; thus the 1911 ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
'' entry for "ape" notes that it is either a synonym for "monkey" or is used to mean a tailless humanlike primate.
Colloquially, the terms "monkey" and "ape" are widely used interchangeably.
Also, a few monkey species have the word "ape" in their common name, such as the
Barbary ape
The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar.
It is the type species of the ...
.
Later in the first half of the 20th century, the idea developed that there were trends in
primate evolution
The evolutionary history of the primates can be traced back 57-85/90 million years. One of the oldest known primate-like mammal species, ''Plesiadapis'', came from North America; another, ''Archicebus'', came from China. Other similar basal prima ...
and that the living members of the order could be arranged in a series, leading through "monkeys" and "apes" to humans.
Monkeys thus constituted a "
grade" on the path to humans and were distinguished from "apes".
Scientific classifications are now more often based on
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
groups, that is groups consisting of ''all'' the descendants of a common ancestor. The New World monkeys and the Old World monkeys are each monophyletic groups, but their combination was not, since it excluded hominoids (apes and humans). Thus, the term "monkey" no longer referred to a recognized scientific
taxon
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
. The smallest accepted taxon which contains all the monkeys is the infraorder
Simiiformes, or simians. However this also contains the hominoids, so that monkeys are, in terms of currently recognized taxa, non-hominoid simians. Colloquially and pop-culturally, the term is ambiguous and sometimes monkey includes non-human hominoids.
In addition, frequent arguments are made for a monophyletic usage of the word "monkey" from the perspective that usage should reflect cladistics.
A group of monkeys may be commonly referred to as a tribe or a troop.
Two separate groups of primates are referred to as "monkeys":
New World monkeys (platyrrhines) from South and Central America and Old World monkeys (
catarrhines in the superfamily Cercopithecoidea) from Africa and Asia.
Apes
Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...
(hominoids)—consisting of
gibbon
Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...
s,
orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
s,
gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
s,
chimpanzees and
bonobos
The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...
, and
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
s—are also catarrhines but were classically distinguished from monkeys.
Tailless monkeys may be called "apes", incorrectly according to modern usage; thus the tailless
Barbary macaque
The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar.
It is the type species of the ...
is historically called the "Barbary ape".
Description
As apes have emerged in the monkey group as sister of the old world monkeys, characteristics that describe monkeys are generally shared by apes as well. Williams et al. outlined evolutionary features, including in stem groupings, contrasted against the other primates such as the
tarsier
Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ...
s and the
lemuriformes.
Monkeys range in size from the
pygmy marmoset, which can be as small as with a tail and just over in weight,
to the male
mandrill
The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...
, almost long and weighing up to .
Some are
arboreal (living in trees) while others live on the
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
; diets differ among the various species but may contain any of the following: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, eggs and small animals (including insects and spiders).
Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have long tails, with those in the Atelidae family being
prehensile
Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ (anatomy), organ that has Adaptation (biology), adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term ''prehendere'', meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely der ...
, while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all. Old World monkeys have
trichromatic color vision
Color vision, a feature of visual perception, is an ability to perceive differences between light composed of different wavelengths (i.e., different spectral power distributions) independently of light intensity. Color perception is a part of ...
like that of humans, while New World monkeys may be trichromatic,
dichromatic, or—as in the
owl monkeys and
greater galago
The greater galagos or thick-tailed bushbabies are three species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus ''Otolemur'' in the family Galagidae.
Historical classification and species discovery
The diversity of galago species h ...
s—
monochromatic
A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or color scheme, palette is composed of one color (or lightness, values of one color). Images using only Tint, shade and tone, shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or Black and wh ...
. Although both the New and Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward-facing eyes, the faces of Old World and New World monkeys look very different, though again, each group shares some features such as the types of noses, cheeks and rumps.
Classification
The following list shows where the various monkey families (bolded) are placed in the classification of living (extant) primates.
* Order
Primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
s
** Suborder
Strepsirrhini
Strepsirrhini or Strepsirhini (; ) is a Order (biology), suborder of primates that includes the Lemuriformes, lemuriform primates, which consist of the lemurs of Fauna of Madagascar, Madagascar, galagos ("bushbabies") and pottos from Fauna of A ...
:
lemurs,
lorises, and
galagos
** Suborder
Haplorhini
Haplorhini (), the haplorhines (Greek for "simple-nosed") or the "dry-nosed" primates, is a suborder of primates containing the tarsiers and the simians (Simiiformes or anthropoids), as sister of the Strepsirrhini ("moist-nosed"). The name is some ...
:
tarsier
Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ...
s, monkeys, and
ape
Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its siste ...
s
*** Infraorder
Tarsiiformes
Tarsiiformes are a group of primates that once ranged across Europe, northern Africa, Asia, and North America, but whose extant species are all found in the islands of Southeast Asia. Tarsiers (family Tarsiidae) are the only living members of ...
**** Family
Tarsiidae
Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ...
: tarsiers
*** Infraorder
Simiiformes: simians
**** Parvorder
Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
***** Family
Callitrichidae
The Callitrichidae (also called Arctopitheci or Hapalidae) are a family of New World monkeys, including marmosets, tamarins, and lion tamarins. At times, this group of animals has been regarded as a subfamily, called the Callitrichinae, of the fa ...
:
marmoset
The marmosets (), also known as zaris or sagoin, are 22 New World monkey species of the genera ''Callithrix'', ''Cebuella'', ''Callibella'', and ''Mico''. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term "marmoset" is ...
s and
tamarins (42 species)
***** Family
Cebidae
The Cebidae are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. Extant members are the capuchin and squirrel monkeys. These species are found throughout tropical and subtropical South and Central America.
Characteristics
Cebid mo ...
:
capuchins and
squirrel monkeys (14 species)
***** Family
Aotidae
Night monkeys, also known as owl monkeys or douroucoulis (), are nocturnal New World monkeys of the genus ''Aotus'', the only member of the family Aotidae (). The genus comprises eleven species which are found across Panama and much of South Ame ...
:
night monkeys (11 species)
***** Family
Pitheciidae:
titis,
sakis, and
uakari
Uakari (, ) is the common name for the New World monkeys of the genus ''Cacajao''. Both the English and scientific names are believed to have originated from indigenous languages.
The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail ...
s (41 species)
***** Family
Atelidae
The Atelidae are one of the five families of New World monkeys now recognised. It was formerly included in the family Cebidae. Atelids are generally larger monkeys; the family includes the howler, spider, woolly, and woolly spider monkeys (t ...
:
howler,
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
, and
woolly monkeys (24 species)
**** Parvorder
Catarrhini
***** Superfamily
Cercopithecoidea
****** Family
Cercopithecidae
Old World monkey is the common English name for a family of primates known taxonomically as the Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons ...
: Old World monkeys (135 species)
***** Superfamily
Hominoidea: apes
****** Family
Hylobatidae
Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...
:
gibbon
Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforest from eastern Bangladesh to Northeast India ...
s ("lesser apes") (20 species)
****** Family
Hominidae
The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ea ...
: great apes (including
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
s,
gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
s,
chimpanzee
The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...
s, and
orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
s) (8 species)
Cladogram with extinct families
Below is a
cladogram with some extinct monkey families. Generally, extinct non-hominoid simians, including early catarrhines are discussed as monkeys as well as simians or anthropoids,
which
cladistically means that Hominoidea are monkeys as well, restoring monkeys as a single grouping. It is indicated approximately how many million years ago (Mya) the clades diverged into newer clades. It is thought the New World monkeys started as a drifted "Old World monkey" group from the Old World (probably Africa) to the New World (South America).
Relationship with humans
![Please do not feed monkeys Koh Chang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Please_do_not_feed_monkeys_Koh_Chang.jpg)
The many species of monkey have varied relationships with humans. Some are
kept as pets, others used as
model organism
A model organism (often shortened to model) is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workin ...
s in laboratories or in space missions. They may be killed in
monkey drive
A monkey drive is an operation where large numbers of wild monkeys are rounded up and killed in order to protect agriculture such as crops, planted rice, banana and citrus fruit trees. Monkey drives have been reported in Sierra Leone, where they ...
s (when they threaten agriculture) or used as
service animals for the disabled.
In some areas, some species of monkey are considered agricultural
pests
PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...
, and can cause extensive damage to commercial and subsistence crops.
This can have important implications for the conservation of endangered species, which may be subject to persecution. In some instances farmers' perceptions of the damage may exceed the actual damage.
Monkeys that have become habituated to human presence in tourist locations may also be considered pests, attacking tourists.
As service animals for disabled people
Some organizations train
capuchin monkeys as
service animals to assist
quadriplegics and other people with severe spinal cord injuries or
mobility impairments. After being
socialized
In sociology, socialization or socialisation (see spelling differences) is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and cultur ...
in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with disabled people. Around the house, the monkeys assist with
daily tasks such as feeding, fetching, manipulating objects, and personal care.
Helper monkey
Various definitions exist for a service animal. The Americans with Disabilities Act defines the term as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities". Dogs are the most common service animals, hav ...
s are usually trained in schools by private organizations, taking seven years to train, and are able to serve 25–30 years (two to three times longer than a
guide dog).
In 2010, the
U.S. federal government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 ...
revised its definition of service animal under the
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...
(ADA). Non-human primates are no longer recognized as service animals under the ADA.
The
American Veterinary Medical Association
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US.
The AVMA provides information resources, continuing education opportunities, publicatio ...
does not support the use of non-human primates as assistance animals because of
animal welfare
Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...
concerns, the potential for serious injury to people, and risks that primates
may transfer dangerous diseases to humans.
In experiments
The most common monkey species found in animal research are the
grivet
The grivet (''Chlorocebus aethiops'') is an Old World monkey with long white tufts of hair along the sides of its face. Some authorities consider this and all of the members of the genus ''Chlorocebus'' to be a single species, ''Cercopithecus ae ...
, the
rhesus macaque, and the
crab-eating macaque
The crab-eating macaque (''Macaca fascicularis''), also known as the long-tailed macaque and referred to as the cynomolgus monkey in laboratories, is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. A species of macaque, the crab-eating macaqu ...
, which are either wild-caught or purpose-bred.
They are used primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to apes) and their psychological and physical similarity to
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
s. Worldwide, it is thought that between 100,000 and 200,000 non-human primates are used in research each year,
64.7% of which are Old World monkeys,
and 5.5% New World monkeys.
This number makes a very small fraction of all animals used in research.
Between 1994 and 2004 the United States has used an average of 54,000 non-human primates, while around 10,000 non-human primates were used in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
in 2002.
In space
![Monkey Sam Before The Flight On Little Joe 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Monkey_Sam_Before_The_Flight_On_Little_Joe_2.jpg)
A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was
Albert II, who flew in the US-launched
V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed ...
on June 14, 1949.
As food
Monkey brains
Monkey brains is a supposed dish consisting of, at least partially, the brain of some species of monkey or ape.
While animal brains have been consumed in various cuisines (e.g. eggs and brains or fried brain sandwiches), there is debate abou ...
are eaten as a delicacy in parts of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...
, Africa and China. Monkeys are sometimes eaten in parts of Africa, where they can be sold as "
bushmeat
Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents
a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tropi ...
". In traditional
Islamic dietary laws
Islamic dietary laws are dietary laws that Muslims follow. Islamic jurisprudence specifies which foods are '' '' (, "lawful") and which are '' '' (, "unlawful"). The dietary laws are found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as well as in coll ...
, the eating of monkeys is
forbidden.
Literature
Sun Wukong
The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=å«æ‚Ÿç©º, s=å™æ‚Ÿç©º, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...
(the "Monkey King"), a character who figures prominently in
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions.
Much of t ...
, is the protagonist in the classic comic Chinese novel ''
Journey to the West''.
Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
Monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
'' and the literary characters
Monsieur Eek
''Monsieur Eek'' is a short novel by American playwright David Ives, intended for ages 9–12. It was first published September 1, 2001 by HarperCollins. Set in 1609, it is about a chimpanzee who gets arrested for being a French spy. and
Curious George
Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series.
Geor ...
are all examples.
Informally, "monkey" may refer to apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas. Author
Terry Pratchett alludes to this difference in usage in his ''
Discworld'' novels, in which the
Librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
of the
Unseen University is an
orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...
who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey. Another example is the use of
Simians in Chinese poetry.
The
winged monkeys are prominent characters in
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
's ''
Wizard of Oz'' books and in the
1939 film based on Baum's 1900 novel ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
Religion and worship
![Abhinandannath](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Abhinandannath.jpg)
Monkey is the symbol of fourth ''
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...
'' in
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...
,
Abhinandananatha.
Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनà¥à¤®à¤¾à¤¨, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...
, a prominent deity in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, is a human-like monkey god who is believed to bestow courage, strength and longevity to the person who thinks about him or
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
.
In
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
, the monkey is an early incarnation of Buddha but may also represent trickery and ugliness. The
Chinese Buddhist "
mind monkey
The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for vario ...
" metaphor refers to the unsettled, restless state of human mind. Monkey is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolizing greed, with the tiger representing anger and the deer lovesickness.
The ''Sanzaru,'' or
three wise monkeys, are revered in Japanese folklore; together they embody the proverbial principle to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".
The
Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature. They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted monkeys in their art.
The
Tzeltal Tzeltal may refer to:
* Tzeltal people, an ethnic group of Mexico
* Tzeltal language
Tzeltal or Tseltal () is a Mayan language spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas, mostly in the municipalities of Ocosingo, Altamirano, Huixtán, Tenejapa, ...
people of Mexico worshipped monkeys as incarnations of their dead ancestors.
Zodiac
![Gabriel Cornelius von Max, 1840-1915, Monkeys as Judges of Art, 1889](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Gabriel_Cornelius_von_Max%2C_1840-1915%2C_Monkeys_as_Judges_of_Art%2C_1889.jpg)
The
Monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
(猴) is the ninth in the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the
Chinese zodiac related to the
Chinese calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Agricultural Calendar ¾²æ›†; 农历; ''Nónglì''; 'farming calendar' Former Calendar ˆŠæ›†; 旧历; ''Jiùlì'' Traditional Calendar €æ›†; è€åŽ†; ''LÇŽolì'', is a lunisolar calendar ...
. .
See also
*
List of New World monkey species
*
List of Old World monkey species
Old World monkeys are all simian primates. They are more closely related to the apes than they are to the New World monkeys.
Taxonomic classification
* Infraorder Simian, Simiiformes
** Parvorder Catarrhini
*** Superfamily Old World monkey, Cer ...
*
List of individual monkeys
This annotated list of individual monkeys includes monkeys who are in some way famous or notable. The list does not include notable apes, or fictional primates.
Monkey actors
* Binx - (white-headed capuchin) Appeared in '' Ace Ventura: Pet De ...
*
List of fictional primates
This list of fictional primates is a subsidiary to the list of fictional animals. The list is restricted to notable non-human primate characters from the world of fiction including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, gibbons, monkeys, lemu ...
*
List of primates
List of primates contains the extant species in the order Primates and currently contains 16 families and 72 genera. For extinct species see the list of fossil primates.
Suborder Strepsirrhini
Infraorder Lemuriformes Superfamily Lem ...
*
List of primates by population
This is a list of primate species by estimated global population. This list is not comprehensive, as not all primates have had their numbers quantified.
See also
* Lists of organisms by population
*Lists of mammals by population
*Human popul ...
*
International Primate Day
International Primate Day, September 1, is an annual educational observance event organized since 2005 largely by British-based Animal Defenders International (ADI)
and supported annually by various primate-oriented advocacy organizations, speaks ...
*
Monkey Day
*
Signifying monkey
The signifying monkey is a character of African-American folklore that derives from the trickster figure of Yoruba mythology, Esu Elegbara. This character was transported with Africans to the Americas under the names of Exu, Echu-Elegua, Papa L ...
Notes
References
Literature cited
*
Further reading
"How to Avoid Monkey Bites and Attacks in Southeast Asia"by Gregory Rodgers, Trip Savvy, 21 Dec 2018
by Anniina Jokinen, Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature
"The Impossible Housing and Handling Conditions of Monkeys in Research Laboratories" by Viktor Reinhardt, International Primate Protection League, August 2001
an article by veterinarian Lianne McLeod on About.com
Helping Hands: Monkey helpers for the disabled a U.S. national non-profit organization based in Boston Massachusetts that places specially trained capuchin monkeys with people who are paralyzed or who live with other severe mobility impairments
{{Authority control
Extant Eocene first appearances
Paraphyletic groups