Monkey: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:55, 26 February 2007

Revision as of 04:32, 26 February 2007

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{{Expert-subject|Primates}}

{{otheruses}}

[[Image:MonkeysdistributionmapGorilla 019.gif|rightjpg|thumb|Approximate250px|Western worldwideLowland distribution of monkeys.Gorilla]]

[[Image:Monkey_batu.jpg|right|thumb|[[Cynomolgus Monkey]] at [[Batu Caves]], Malaysia]]

A '''monkey''' is adefined memberas ofa eithernonhuman ofprimate twomammal ofwith the threeexception groupingsusually of [[simian]]the lemurs and tarsiers.<ref>[[primate]]shttp://www.m-w.com/dictionary/monkey]</ref> TheseMonkeys threedo groupingsnot areform thea coherent biological category, but rather is a generic term that includes [[New World monkey]]s, the [[Old World monkey]]s, and theall non-human [[apeapes]]s (non-human because some biolgists argues that humans should be classified as apes). The New World monkeys are classified within the parvorder [[Platyrrhini]], whereas the Old World monkeys (superfamily [[Cercopithecoidea]]) form part of the parvorder [[Catarrhini]], which also includes the apes. Thus,Although scientificallysome speakingscientist have tried to exclude all apes from the monkey category, monkeys do not form a "natural group", in that the Old World monkeys are actually more closely related to the apes than they are to the New World species, so such distinctions are unscientific. There are 264279 known extant species of monkey. Because of their similarity to monkeys, apes such as [[chimpanzee]]s and [[gibbon]]s are often called monkeys in informal usage, though biologists don't consider them to be monkeys. Conversely, due to its size (up to 1 metre) the [[Mandrill]] is often thought to be an ape, but it is actually an Old World monkey. Also, a few monkey species have the word "ape" in their common name. Because theyMonkeys are [[paraphyly|notdistinguished afrom singlehumans coherentby grouptheir [[quadrupedal]]ism, monkeys do not have any particular traits that they all sharefur, and areinability notto shared with the remaining group of simians, the apesspeak.

==Characteristics==

[[Image:Singes Sosen.jpg|thumb|left|''Monkeys'', Mori Sosen (1749-1821)]] Monkeys range in size from the [[Pygmy Marmoset]], at 14-16 cm (5-6 inch) long (plus tail) and 120-140 g (4-5 oz) in weight, to the male [[Mandrillgorilla]], almost 1 metre (3 ft) long and weighing 35 kg (75400 lb)lbs. Some are [[arboreal]] (living in trees), some live on the [[savannah]]; diets differ among the various species but may contain any of the following: [[fruit]], [[leave]]s, [[seed]]s, [[Nut (fruit)|nut]]s, [[flower]]s, [[insect]]s, [[spider]]s, [[egg (biology)|eggs]] and small animals.

Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have [[prehensile tail]]s while Old World monkeys do not; some have [[trichromat]]ic [[colour vision]] like that of humans, others are [[dichromat]]s or [[monochromat]]s. 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. In order to understand the monkeys, it is necessary to study the characteristics of the different groups individually.