In any zoo, monkeys are the most popular. If you stand and watch these animals, you will soon see that the behavior of monkeys is very similar to ours.
Monkeys are large and small. The smallest monkey is the pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea), the length of its head and body is about 15 cm. The largest is the gorilla: it grows up to 1.85 m. The tail may be completely absent; however, some monkeys also have a tail that is longer than their body. For example, the body of the gulman (Presbytis entellus) is 50-70 cm long, and the tail is 65-100 cm. Its close relative, the golden-chocolate snub-nosed monkey, has a body length of 50-80, and the tail is up to 104 cm. The marmoset is not only the smallest, but and the lightest monkey; it weighs only 100 g. And the heaviest of the monkeys is the gorilla. An adult male gorilla can weigh up to 275 kg, that is, approximately 3,000 times more than his small relative.
The brain of monkeys is quite well developed. Many have a round head or an elongated muzzle. Eyes are directed forward; ears are most often similar to human ones. The facial muscles are well developed, so monkeys have facial expressions. A particularly important feature in monkeys is their arms and legs, which they use deftly. The tail often serves as another tool for grasping. Under the guidance of researchers, some monkeys even learn to perform complex actions - often requiring some understanding.
Monkeys live in pairs and in small or large groups. They can reproduce throughout the year. They usually give birth to only one baby, which they raise for a long time. The age limit for monkeys is from 10 to 40 years. Biologists divide monkeys into two large groups - monkeys from the New and Old Worlds. New World monkeys live exclusively in Central and South America. These include about 50 species of medium size. They all live in trees and are active during the day. New World monkeys include Aotus, Cacajao, Pithecia, Saimiri, Lagothrix, Alouatta, Cebus, and Ateles. The largest of them is an arachnid, reaching a length of more than 60 cm and possessing an almost meter-long prehensile tail.
| Monkey gycap |
Old World monkeys are common in Africa and the southern regions of Asia. In the extreme south of Spain lives the only barbary monkey in Europe. There are about 80 different species of Old World monkeys, including rhesus monkeys (M. mulatto.), baboons, hussar monkeys, langurs (Presbytis) and proboscis monkeys (Nasalis). The Old World monkeys include two other important groups: the lesser apes - gibbons and the great apes - orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees. Along with monkeys from the New and Old Worlds, biologists also include prosimians in this order. They represent a transitional stage between insectivorous mammals and monkeys themselves.
Living in Africa, Southeast Asia and Madagascar, the lower primates, or prosimians, form 6 families: tupaiformes, lemurs, indrisids, chiropods, lorisids and tarsiers. Prosimians include animals with such exotic names as maki, catta, sifaki, indri, loris, potto or galago. The smallest of the prosimians is the mouse lemur, whose body length is 11 cm, weight 50 g. The largest is the indri, which, when it stands on its hind legs, reaches a height of 93 cm. Almost all prosimians are forest dwellers and feed on plants. They sleep during the day and go in search of food at night; They have very large eyes and a developed sense of smell.
Gorillas, especially older males, command respect from any observer. However, despite their size and strength, they are peaceful inhabitants of forests, feeding exclusively on plants. The animals are kept in families led by an old male with a silver stripe on his back. Gorillas' day begins with the fact that they immediately start eating after waking up and eat within 2-3 hours. Around noon they go back to sleep, sometimes waking up to eat again. Towards evening, the gorillas again go in search of food. With the onset of dusk, the leader first begins to build a nest for himself for the night. The rest follow his example. Unfortunately, the future looks bleak for these large apes. No one knows how many gorillas remain in the forests; estimates vary: some naturalists say several hundred, others several thousand.
The mandrill belongs to the monkey family, its close relatives are baboons. He lives in dense forests and wanders there in groups consisting of one adult male and several females with cubs. A group can consist of 20 animals.
The male mandrill has a bright red and blue pattern on its face. Such a motley muzzle is clearly visible among dense trees. And it is important that all members of the group stick together.
Monkeys are small representatives of the Old World monkeys. They have a very long tail, a moderately elongated and rounded muzzle, and small and round ears. The coat is thick and long. Whiskers or a beard often form around the muzzle. There are 15 species of monkeys, and they all live in Africa. The most common species is the green monkey.
"Orangutan" means "man of the forest" in Malay. Orangutans were first described by Western researchers at the beginning of the 18th century. They came to Europe already in 1776. However, for a long time almost nothing was known about the life of orangutans in the wild. Everything changed just recently. Since the 1970s, extensive research programs have been carried out. The large ape roams the dense tropical forests of Asia and lives, in contrast to the gorilla and chimpanzee, alone.
| A frolicking baby orangutan |
With age, male oratugpans grow large growths on their cheeks in the form of rolls of fat. Orangutans rarely come down from the trees. With the help of his long arms, he deftly jumps from branch to branch. With the onset of evening twilight, it builds itself a large nest of leaves, and often with a roof from the rain, on the fork of branches. This sleeping nest is used only for one night. The next morning the orangutan gets up and slowly moves on. Finding a tree with fruit, he climbs it and has lunch. Sometimes he settles down and takes a nap.
The existence of orangutans is currently under threat. Forests in Indonesia are being cut down, and the "forest man" is rapidly losing his habitat. If serious measures are not taken, orangutans will soon remain only in zoos. Nature reserves located in tropical rainforests help protect many other species of animals and plants that are at risk of extinction.
Baboons are monkeys with a long snout, which justifies their name "dog-headed". They stay mostly on the ground and only when there is danger they climb onto trees or rocks. Powerful fangs allow adult males to defend themselves from enemies. Even leopards are afraid of them.
While sleeping, baboons retire to the trees, and at dawn they come down again to search for food. They walk around their territory, covering 5-20 km per day. In the evening they again go to rest in the trees. If there are no trees, then they sleep on the eaves of steep cliffs.
Baboons live in large herds of 40-80 individuals, but sometimes you can find a herd consisting of 200 individuals. The basis of the herd consists of females with cubs, and an adult male looks after it. He tolerates growing males in his herd, but keeps them submissive.
The largest of the baboons is the chacma, or bear baboon (Pargo ursinus). In this species, the body length of males reaches 1.15 m, and the weight is 30 kg. Chakma lives in South Africa.
Its close relative is the hamadryas baboon (P. hamadryas), which lives in Ethiopia, northern Somalia, northeastern Sudan and southwestern Arabia. In ancient times, hamadryas were also found in the Nile Valley. The ancient Egyptians highly revered it and dedicated it to the sun god Ra, and animal corpses were often mummified. Mature male hamadryas are adorned with sideburns and a silvery mane (mantle) with hair up to 25 cm long. That is why they are sometimes called “cloak baboons”.
Chimpanzees belong to the family of great apes, their closest relatives are the gorilla and the orangutan. Like both of these species, chimpanzees also live in the forest. In small groups they roam around their territory. In the morning, the monkeys feed for two hours, then rest for half a day, and in the evening they go in search of food again. Chimpanzees spend the night in nests, which they build new ones each time.
Barbary monkey, or magot (Masasa sylvanus)
| Magnitude | 60-70 cm body length. Shoulder height 45-50 cm. Weight: females up to 12 kg; males up to 15 kg | Signs | A bare, wrinkled face, reddish, thick sideburns on the cheeks, short ears. There is no tail. The fur is thick, long, light brown |
| Nutrition | Fruits, leaves, grass and roots; in addition, insects, worms, scorpions and small vertebrates |
| Reproduction | Pregnancy 146-180 days; 1 cub, rarely 2; newborn weight about 450 g |
| Habitats | Shrubs on rocks and hills at an altitude of 600-2000 m; Algeria, Morocco; in Europe it is found only in Gibraltar in southern Spain (presumably they were brought there) |
As you know, monkeys are very smart animals. There are about 280 species of them on the planet. And today we want to introduce you to a list with photos of ten monkeys that differ from the rest in their unusual appearance.
Tonkinsky Gulman
The Tonkinese Gulman is a rare primate species found in various forests in southern China and northeastern Vietnam. They live in groups of 4–27 individuals, led by females. These active and noisy monkeys spend most of their lives in trees. The basis of their diet consists of shoots, fruits, flowers and bark. The length of the head and body of male Tonkin Gulman reaches 55–64 cm, females 47–59 cm. The weight of males is 6.5–7.2 kg, females 5.5–5.9 kg. The total number of individuals living in the wild is unknown, but there are believed to be fewer than 500 left in Vietnam and 1,400–1,650 in China.
The proboscis monkey is a species of monkey found in tropical forests and mangroves along rivers exclusively on the island of Borneo. A distinctive feature of these unusual monkeys is their large pear-shaped nose, which only males have. Proboscis whales live in groups of 10 to 30 individuals. They feed mainly on leaves and fruits, sometimes on plant flowers. The length of the head and body of males is 73–76 cm, females 54–64 cm. The weight of males is 16–22 kg, females 7–12 kg. Proboscis whales swim and dive well. They are considered the best swimmers of all primates. The species is endangered and is included in the list of the ugliest animals on the planet.
Eighth on the list of the most unusual monkey species is the Nemean tonkotel, a species of primate that inhabits various types of forests in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. They live in groups of up to 50 individuals. They feed mainly on young leaves, fruits, seeds and flowers. They spend most of their time in trees. Adult males reach an average weight of 11 kg, females approximately 8.4 kg. Their body length is 61–76 cm, tail length is 56–76 cm. Life expectancy is up to 25 years. They are endangered.
The baboon is a species of large monkey, distributed in the semi-open mountainous and lowland territories of Angola, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia and Tanzania. This very agile monkey spends most of its time on the ground, where it stays close to trees, where it sometimes sleeps. They live in herds of 20 to 200 individuals (average 80). Their body length reaches an average of 75 cm, weight 20–25 kg. Life expectancy is 20–30 years. They feed on fruits, grains, bulbs, shoots, insects, and small mammals. Baboons are often kept in zoos.
Roxellanicus rhinopithecus is a species of primate found in a small area of montane and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests in southern and central China. These animals are among the most cold-resistant primates, for which the Chinese nicknamed them “snow monkeys.” They spend almost their entire lives on trees and, at the slightest danger, climb to their tops. They feed mainly (when there are no fruits) on tree bark, pine needles and lichens. They live in groups of 9–18 animals. Their body length is 57–76 cm, tail length 51–72 cm, weight of males 15–39 kg, females 6.5–10 kg. The species is endangered.
The orangutan is a highly intelligent species of large ape found only in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra. They spend most of their lives in trees, through which they move with the help of long arms (span reaches 2 m), helping themselves with their legs. They feed mainly on fruits and tree leaves, sometimes insects, bird eggs, honey, nuts and bark. The height of males can reach 1.5 m (usually less), body weight - 50–90 and even 135 kg. Females are much smaller - their height is about 1 m, weight 30–50 kg. Orangutans live up to 30 years. This species is endangered and is listed in the International Red Book.
White-headed Langur
In fourth place in the ranking of the most unusual monkeys on the planet is the white-headed langur - one of the rarest primates in the world (the number is estimated at less than 70 individuals), found only in the forests of southern China and northern Vietnam. They live in groups of five to nine animals, usually with one dominant male. They feed mainly on leaves, fruits, flowers and tree bark. The body length of males is 55–62 cm, females 47–55 cm. The weight of males is 8–9.5 kg, females 6–8 kg. Animals have an average lifespan of 25 years.
Gelada
Gelada is a rare species of monkey found only on the mountain plateaus of Ethiopia. They are social animals and live in groups of up to 70 individuals, which sometimes join together to form huge herds of up to 350 animals. They spend all their time exclusively on the ground. They never climb trees. They mainly feed on grass leaves, seeds and excavated underground stems and rhizomes, sometimes fruits and small invertebrates. The length of the head and body of males is 69–74 cm, females 50–65 cm. The weight of males reaches 20 kg, females 12–16 kg. Considered one of the most dangerous herbivores and the loudest monkeys in the world.
The Japanese macaque is the northernmost monkey, living in various forests in the north of the island of Honshu in Japan, where snow remains for up to four months and the average winter temperature is -5° C. During this period, Japanese macaques spend most of their time in hot springs. They live in groups of 20 to 100 individuals with a strict hierarchy. Their body length reaches 79–95 cm. The weight of males is 10–14 kg, females – 5.5 kg. Japanese macaques are omnivores, feeding mainly on fruits, leaves, seeds, plant roots, fungi, as well as insects, fish, bird eggs and small vertebrates. Interestingly, this monkey, along with humans and raccoons, are the only animals that wash their food before eating it.
The most unusual species of monkey in the world is the spectacled monkey, common in the forests of Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. They live in groups of 5 to 20 animals. They almost never descend to the ground. They prefer to stay in the upper layers of trees (at heights of 35 meters or higher). They feed mainly on leaves, a variety of fruits and flowers. Capable of eating up to 2 kg per day. Their body length is 42–61 cm, tail length is 50–85 cm. On average, an adult male spectacled thin-bodied fish weighs 7.4 kg, a female 6.5 kg.
It’s not for nothing that monkeys are called four-armed mammals. Most representatives of this species live in the crowns of trees, deftly moving from branch to branch. In the dense equatorial forests there are primates that never come down to earth. For example, royal guerres, which live in Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, spend their entire lives in the crowns of trees. They are excellent jumpers and cover long distances by jumping from branch to branch.
Large and medium-sized monkeys often descend from trees to the ground. Some, such as baboons, live exclusively on the ground, completely ignoring trees. They gather in large groups and, moving together, are able to withstand even such large predators as leopards and lions.
Most monkeys live in warm climates and do not tolerate cold well. However, some species have adapted to living conditions in the cold. Thus, Japanese macaques live on the northern island of Honshu, where the average winter temperature is -5°C, and snow cover can last up to four months a year. The bodies of these animals are covered with thick and long hair, which reliably protects them from cold winds. In addition, snow macaques have learned to take advantage of the geological features of the Japanese islands - they spend most of their time basking in the water of hot springs. Also, some species of monkeys living in the mountains of China and South America successfully tolerate sub-zero temperatures.
Monkey habitat
Primates are mainly found in the tropics and subtropics of Africa, South America and southeast Asia. Africa is almost entirely inhabited by various species of monkeys, with the exception of the Sahara Desert. Among the many primates found on the continent, the great apes, chimpanzees and gorillas, are of particular interest. On the island of Madagascar, contrary to popular belief, there are no primates. But their more primitive “relatives” – lemurs – live here.
In Asia, the habitat of monkeys includes the entire Indo-Malayan region, most of China, the south of the Korean Peninsula, numerous Indian islands and partly the Japanese islands. Orangutans, large apes, are found in Kalimantan and Sumatra.
In South America, the greatest diversity of primate species is found in the Amazon basin. Here you can meet the smallest monkeys from the marmoset family. The forests of Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela are also home to howler monkeys, saimiris and various species of capuchins.
No animal attracts as much interest from people as monkeys. And all because they are our closest relatives, both physiologically and intellectually. Monkeys form a separate infraorder of Apes in the order of Primates. Among primitive animals, their close relatives are tarsiers, lemurs, tupai, lorises, and bats, and their distant relatives are insectivorous mammals. This relationship debunks one of the most persistent myths about monkeys as the most perfect creatures on the planet. In reality, they only have developed intelligence, which is due to the specifics of their environment, but the physiology of monkeys is at a rather primitive level.
The crested macaque, or crested baboon (Macaca nigra) is the first species of monkey to go down in human history as the author of selfies.
The body sizes of these animals vary over a very wide range: the smallest monkey - the pygmy marmoset - weighs only 100-150 g, and the largest are gorillas, whose weight can reach 140-200 kg. Male orangutans are almost not far behind them, whose weight in rare cases can reach up to 180 kg (their females are much smaller).
Pygmy marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea).
It is clear that such a difference in size could not but affect the appearance. If you look for common features in monkeys, they are united by a rounded skull containing a large brain; small size of fixed ears; brow ridges outlining the eye sockets; large eyes adapted to see in daylight; short mobile neck; muscular long limbs. It is characteristic that all monkeys have a clavicle - a bone that allows their forelimbs to move in different directions, in contrast to the paws of terrestrial quadrupeds, which can move mainly in the “back and forth” direction.
In the primitive broad-nosed monkeys of the New World, the facial part of the skull is relatively poorly developed, so their faces are flat. In the more advanced narrow-nosed monkeys of the Old World, the jaws protrude noticeably forward, for example, in baboons, which do not disdain hunting, this gives an almost canine appearance.
The male hamadryas (Papio hamadryas) yawns to show off his teeth to rivals. Such a grin is often used by baboons to bloodlessly strengthen discipline.
Broad-nosed and narrow-nosed monkeys are called not so much by the size of the nose, but by the direction of the nostrils: in the broad-nosed ones they are spaced apart, and in the narrow-nosed ones they are directed forward. Male proboscis monkeys have a cucumber-like nose - it acts as a resonator, while females of this species have short and upturned noses.
Male proboscis whale, or kahau (Nasalis larvatus).
Rhinopithecus have very short noses with nostrils directed almost upward.
Male black rhinopithecus (Rhinopithecus bieti).
Compared to other animals, monkeys have well-developed facial muscles, since their grimaces perform a communicative function. The vision of these primates is binocular and color, which allows them to quickly determine the distance to objects and accurately identify them. Such vision is vital for the inhabitants of high crowns, who feed on a variety of fruits, leaves, and sometimes small animals.
The monkeys' front paws are five-fingered, with the first (thumb) finger extended, which allows them to grasp tree branches and manipulate objects. To obtain food, monkeys use tools, such as stones, twigs, rolled leaves, with which they break nuts, pull out ants, scoop up water, etc.
The brown capuchin or fawn (Cebus apella) uses a heavy stone to crush the shell of a hard nut.
However, in some tree monkeys the first finger can be reduced, in which case the paw is used as a hook, that is, the animal hangs on a branch, holding on to it with all four fingers. The hind legs of monkeys also have an extended toe: on the one hand, this allows them to hold on to branches more effectively, and on the other hand, it does not in the least interfere with walking and running on the ground. By the way, monkeys move by resting on the entire surface of their palms and soles, and only great apes (orangutans, gorillas, gibbons, chimpanzees) bend their fingers on their palms when walking, resting on their backs.
Monkeys' fingers end in nails; in small tree monkeys they sometimes have a arched shape, which makes them look like claws from the outside.
The tail is perhaps the most variable organ of monkeys. In great apes and magotes it is completely absent, in pig-tailed macaques it is short and does not play any role in movement, in other species it is long, but functions differently. For example, Old World monkeys use it as a balancer when jumping (and hussar monkeys also lean on it when standing), but among the broad-nosed monkeys there are many species with an extremely prehensile tail. Its lower surface is bare and has papillary lines similar to fingerprints, and the tail itself is very flexible and strong. All this allows its owner to wrap his tail around the branches, literally feeling their surface, and also hang on it. It is not for nothing that woolly, tawny and spider monkeys are sometimes called five-armed, implying that the tail replaces an additional limb for them. True, the smallest monkeys (marmosets, marmosets, tamarins) have a long tail that is not at all muscular; these species use it like squirrels, as a rudder when jumping.
A tawny monkey (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) with a baby moves along an air bridge between the trees.
Monkeys are characterized by thick hair without undercoat, but at the same time their palms, feet and partly their face are always bare. In some species, other parts of the body are naked: in geladas - the skin on the chest, in all baboons - ischial calluses, in uakari - the skull.
A baboon or yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus) showing black calluses. In other species of baboons, these parts of the body are usually red.
The skin color of different species can be flesh-colored, bright red, blue, black, or even multi-colored, like the mandrill.
The unusual texture of the skin of the Nemean tonkotel (Pygathrix nemaeus) gives it a doll-like appearance.
The fur of monkeys is often colored black, brown, gray; a few species are characterized by variegated colors.
Nemean tonzoboli are also among the most brightly colored monkeys.
Many species have decorations in the form of elongated hair growing on the head, face, neck, shoulders and forming, respectively, lush hair, a beard and mustache, a “hood”, and a mane. Such decorations can be characteristic only of males (for example, the mane of baboons) or of both sexes (for example, the mustache of the imperial saguina).
Imperial saguins (Saguinus imperator).
In general, monkeys are characterized by sexual dimorphism, which boils down to brighter colors and larger sizes of males. However, it is expressed differently in different species. As a rule, the strongest differences between males and females can be observed in polygynous species with strict dominance of the leader (baboons, proboscis monkey), less clear - in herd monkeys with less aggressive males (gorillas, macaques), and very insignificant - in monkeys living in pairs , where the male and female equally care for the offspring (marmosets, marmosets, tamarins).
Family of Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana).
All monkeys are heat-loving animals that live in the equatorial, tropical and subtropical zones of Asia, Africa, South and Central America. In Europe, monkeys are known only in the extreme southwest of the continent - on the Cape of Gibraltar. The Magots live here, but they also came to Europe with the help of people from their historical homeland - North Africa. The other northernmost habitat of these primates is located on the Japanese Islands. Here, Japanese macaques managed to populate even islands with a temperate climate, where a lot of snow falls in winter. True, it is not their skin that helps them overcome the cold, but their intellect - these monkeys have learned to warm up in hot springs, where they spend almost the entire winter day.
Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), while warming up in the water, simultaneously go about their daily activities: eating, picking each other's fur. This group indulges in an afternoon nap.
The favorite habitats of monkeys are dense forests with many fruit trees. A few species have mastered dry woodlands (monkeys), savannas (baboons), and rocky slopes (magots, geladas).
A flock of langurs hides from the torrential torrents flowing down a rocky slope in the Thar Desert. Most monkeys do not like water and even swim only when absolutely necessary.
All monkeys are herbivorous to one degree or another. Some of them adhere to an exclusively vegetarian diet, eating tree fruits, leaves, young shoots, seeds; these species include orangutans, gorillas, and howler monkeys. Others replenish protein reserves in the body by periodically eating eggs and chicks, small lizards, and crabs. These species include macaques, marmosets, and marmosets. Finally, meat plays a significant role in the diet of baboons; sometimes these monkeys even catch such large animals as baby gazelles and small antelopes.
A baboon with a baby gazelle it killed.
The nature of the diet also affects the lifestyle. Herbivorous marmosets, marmosets and gibbons live in pairs or small families, including close relatives (older children, grandparents). These monkeys are very peaceful, do not like fights, and mark their territory either with urine (marmosets) or with special songs (gibbons).
The common-toed gibbon, or siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus), performs its morning song. The pouch under the throat serves as a resonator for it, amplifying the sound.
Herbivorous orangutans living alone and gorillas with small harems are very calm. But these species can stand up for themselves on occasion. In gregarious species the level of aggression is higher. For example, howler monkeys defend their territory and mates with deafening screams, and the calls of these monkeys are the loudest sounds made by animals!
Black howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) guard the boundaries of their territory.
Omnivorous monkeys and macaques are moderately pugnacious, and baboons are even more aggressive. Troops of these monkeys have a male leader to whom all the others obey. Young males can get along with him only under the condition of complete submission, otherwise they will have to learn the power of his bites the hard way. Females play the role of powerless concubines, the fate of each of them depends on the taste of the leader: the favorites receive maximum care and food, the rest are forced to be content with the leftovers from the table of the stronger and luckier ones. In chimpanzees, intra-pack aggression is relieved either by sexual contact or by organized war against another pack. In the latter case, the winners can taste the meat of the vanquished. By the way, chimpanzees are the only monkeys that hunt other monkeys. And we are talking not only about clan disagreements, but also about monkeys that regularly get in the teeth of their larger “brethren.”
Two male baboons got into a fight. The teenagers felt who would win, and immediately supported the strong one. Although their participation in combat is symbolic, such training will allow them to gain the necessary experience and confidence to aspire to leadership in the future.
Regardless of the level of relationships within the troop, communication between monkeys is accompanied by complex forms of behavior. These animals are not alien to such feelings as friendship, love, envy, resentment, rancor, cunning, anger, grief and empathy.
This female chacma, or bear baboon (Papio ursinus), died of a cub, but even after its death she continues to carry the baby’s body on her back until the corpse is completely decomposed.
In case of danger, their calls not only indicate an approaching threat, but accurately identify it: there are separate calls indicating a leopard, poisonous snakes, a python, a monkey-eating eagle, an armed and an unarmed person. Thus, monkeys speak primitive speech, which at least contains nouns. In captivity, monkeys cannot reproduce human speech due to differences in the structure of the vocal cords, but they are quite capable of mastering the language of gestures or signals.
Gorilla Koko, who speaks sign language, explained to her keepers that she wanted to have a baby. But since the scientists did not allow her to mate, their ward was allowed to adopt the kitten. Coco was very attached to her adopted baby and cried when she had to be separated from him.
Monkeys do not have a specific breeding season. Mating occurs all year round. The female usually gives birth to one baby, rarely - two (twins are more common in tamarins). The newborn is born sighted, covered with short hair, but helpless. At first he hangs on his mother’s stomach, and later moves onto her back. Childbirth occurs in a flock and attracts increased attention to the young mother, her social status increases for some time. Male marmosets and tamarins deliver births to females and even eat the placenta; subsequently, they take an active part in raising the offspring: they carry the baby on themselves, and give it to the mother only for feeding time. Males of other monkeys take care of the young, allowing babies and teenagers more than is allowed to ordinary members of the troop, but they do not show special attention to their own children. The childhood of monkeys is relatively long, which is due to complex forms of behavior - in order to gain the necessary experience, babies will have to watch adults for a long time and play with each other.
Baby gorillas and chimpanzees explore the world around them together. Although such a meeting is impossible in nature, in captivity the kids quickly found a common language.
Large apes have no natural enemies; only chimpanzees, as mentioned above, can die from the paws and stones of a neighboring flock. The situation is different for medium and small monkeys. Their enemies are primarily wild cats (leopard, jaguar, less often lion or tiger), all kinds of snakes, especially pythons and boa constrictors. At a watering hole, they can fall into the mouth of a crocodile. In South America and on the islands of the Philippine archipelago, monkey-eating eagles hunt monkeys. Their name eloquently makes it clear that they have achieved perfection in the business of catching primates. However, danger from the air can lurk for monkeys in other parts of the world, where they can be attacked by kites, hawks and crowned eagles.
A crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) caught a monkey.
Monkeys are susceptible to human infections such as tonsillitis, flu, tuberculosis, herpes, hepatitis, rabies, measles, so in areas of mass tourism they are protected from contact with outsiders.
This baby gorilla was rescued from the hands of animal traffickers in the Congo. While the orphan gets used to his new home, workers at the rehabilitation center wear masks so as not to infect the baby with human infections.
But the human impact on these animals is not limited to just passive transmission of infections. For a long time, people have been hunting monkeys: the natives ate their meat, more developed peoples simply destroyed them as agricultural pests that raided fields and plantations, white colonialists killed the gverets for their beautiful fur, the paws of gorillas were used to make souvenirs. Finally, with the advent of fashion for “love of animals,” many species of monkeys became desirable pets. Thousands of poachers around the world began to satisfy this demand, catching monkeys in the wild for resale. As a result, many species of monkeys are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the International Red Book.
,In the language of the indigenous people of Africa - the Luba tribe - "chimpanzee" means "human-like." The truth of this statement has been scientifically proven. Scientists estimate that the evolutionary paths of chimpanzees and humans diverged just 6 million years ago. And today it is the most striking and amazing representative of the genus of anthropoid primates, genetically and biochemically the closest to Homo sapiens. For example, the similarity between our DNA is almost 90%.
Description of chimpanzee
But the “humanity” of chimpanzees is not limited to DNA similarity.
Appearance
Chimpanzees, just like humans, have blood types and individual fingerprints.. They can be distinguished by them - the pattern never repeats. Chimpanzees differ in height from humans. The largest males do not exceed 1.5 meters in height. Females are even lower – 1.3 meters. But at the same time, chimpanzees are very strong physically and have well-developed muscles, which not every Homo sapiens can boast of.
The structure of the skull is distinguished by pronounced brow ridges, a flat nose and a strongly protruding jaw armed with sharp teeth. The skull is made by nature with a reserve - the brain occupies only half of its volume. The front and hind legs of chimpanzees are the same length. An outstanding feature of the structure of their paws is the thumb, which is located at a distance from the rest and allows the monkey to deftly handle small objects.
The entire body of a chimpanzee is covered with fur. Nature made an exception for the face, palms and soles of the monkey’s feet. Adolescent chimpanzees have a small white area among their dark thick fur - in the area of the tailbone. As the monkey ages, the hairs darken and turn brown. This feature allows chimpanzees to distinguish children from adults and treat them accordingly. It has been noticed that monkeys with white “islands” on the tailbone get away with a lot, that is, from their paws. Adult primates do not punish them for pranks and do not demand much. But as soon as the white hairs disappear, childhood ends.
Chimpanzee species
Chimpanzees belong to the genus of great apes and are related to gorillas and orangutans. There are two types of chimpanzees - the common chimpanzee and the bonobo chimpanzee. Bonobos are often called “pygmy chimpanzees,” which is not entirely true. The bonobo is not a dwarf as such, it’s just that the structure of its body differs from the ordinary chimpanzee in greater grace. Also, this species, the only one of the monkeys, has red lips, like those of humans.
The common chimpanzee has subspecies:
- black-faced or chimpanzee what - distinguished by freckles on the face;
- Western chimpanzee - has a black mask on its face in the shape of a butterfly;
- Schweinfurt - has two distinctive features: a light face, which acquires a dirty tint with age, and longer hair than its relatives.
Character and lifestyle
Chimpanzee is a social animal, lives in groups of up to 20-30 individuals. The group is led by a male in common chimpanzees, and by a female in bonobos. The leader is not always the strongest primate in the group, but he must be the most cunning. He needs to be able to build relationships with his relatives in such a way that they obey him. To do this, he chooses a company of close associates, such as security guards, whom he can rely on in case of danger. The rest of the male competitors are kept in fear of obedience.
When a leader “fails” due to old age or injury, his place is immediately taken by a younger and more promising “commander”. Females in the pack also obey a strict hierarchy. There are female leaders who are in a special position. Males pay increased attention to them, and this secures their chosen status. These chimpanzees get the tastiest morsels and the largest number of suitors during the mating period.
This is interesting! Bonobos, due to the lack of aggression in their character, resolve all conflicts within the group peacefully - by mating.
Female chimpanzees are considered to be more docile but less intelligent than males when it comes to learning and training. But they express great affection for a person and do not harbor the threat of aggressive disobedience, unlike males, who are “led astray from the righteous path” by the instinct of dominance. A social lifestyle makes it easier for chimpanzees to hunt, protect offspring, and helps to accumulate useful skills in a group. They learn a lot from each other while living together. Scientists have proven that lonely monkeys have reduced overall health indicators. The appetite is worse than that of collective relatives, and the metabolism is slowed down.
Chimpanzees are forest dwellers. They need trees. They build nests on them, find food, and use them to escape, grabbing branches, from the enemy. But, with equal success, these monkeys also move on the ground, using all four paws. Walking upright, on two legs, is not typical for chimpanzees in the natural environment.
It has been noted that chimpanzees are inferior to orangutans in tree-climbing dexterity, but are superior to gorillas in the cleanliness of their nests. The design of chimpanzee nests is not elegant and is made simply - from branches and sticks, assembled together in a chaotic manner. Chimpanzees sleep only in nests, in trees, for safety reasons.
Chimpanzees can swim, but they don't like it. They generally prefer not to get wet unless absolutely necessary. Their main pastime is eating and relaxing. Everything is leisurely and measured. The only thing that disturbs the monkeys’ life harmony is the appearance of an enemy. In this case, the chimpanzees raise an incredible cry. Chimpanzees are capable of producing up to 30 types of sounds, but they cannot reproduce human speech, since they “speak” while exhaling, and not while inhaling, like a person. Communication within the group is also facilitated by body language and body posture. There is also facial expressions. Chimpanzees can smile and change their facial expressions.
Chimpanzees are smart animals. These monkeys learn quickly. Living with a person, they easily adopt his manners and habits, sometimes demonstrating amazing results. It is a known fact that a sailor's monkey could handle an anchor and sails and was able to light the stove in the galley and keep the fire going.
Living in a group, chimpanzees successfully exchange their accumulated experience. Young animals learn from mature primates simply by observing and copying their behavior. In their natural habitat, these monkeys themselves came up with the idea of using sticks and stones as tools for obtaining food, and large plant leaves as a scoop for water or an umbrella in case of rain, or a fan, or even toilet paper.
Chimpanzees are capable of admiring a flower that has no nutritional value, or carefully studying a crawling python.
This is interesting! Unlike humans, a chimpanzee will not destroy objects and living beings that are useless and harmless to him; rather, on the contrary. There are cases of chimpanzees feeding turtles. Just!
How long does a chimpanzee live?
In the harsh environment of the wild, chimpanzees rarely live beyond 50 years of age. But in the zoo, under human supervision, this monkey was allowed to live up to 60 years.
Range, habitats
Chimpanzees are inhabitants of Central and Western Africa. They choose tropical rainforests and montane forests with plenty of vegetation. Today, bonobos can only be found in Central Africa - in the rainforests between the Congo and Lualaba rivers.
Populations of common chimpanzees are registered in the territories of: Cameroon, Guinea, Congo, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and a number of other countries in equatorial Africa.
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