HANGING AROUND


There are a lot of different kinds of monkeys.  Scientists divide all of these monkeys into two large groups based on where the monkeys live.  Monkeys are either Old World monkeys that live in Africa or Asia, or New World monkeys that live in South America or Central America.

When Christopher Columbus and other explorers from Europe came to the Americas, they thought of these lands as the "New World".  The places that they knew about before this we call the "Old World".

 
  

 

SOME NEW WORLD MONKEYS  

SOME OLD WORLD MONKEYS  

Owl Monkey  

Guenon Monkey  

Titi Monkey  

Macaque Monkey   

Capuchin Monkey  

Mangabey Monkey  

Squirrel Monkey  

Swamp Monkey  

Saki Monkey  

Patas Monkey   

Uacari Monkey  

Green Monkey  

Howler Monkey  

Colobus Monkey  

Spider Monkey  

Langur Monkey   

Woolly Monkey  

Proboscis Monkey  

Marmoset Monkey  

Drill Monkey   

Tamarin Monkey   

Mandrill Monkey  

 

There are differences between Old World and New World monkeys that can help you to tell them apart even if you don't know where they come from.  This chart shows you some of those differences.
 

 

TYPE
New World 
Old World 

Where they live  

South America, Central America  

Africa and Asia  

Type of tail  

Prehensile tail  

Tails are not prehensile  

Rear side  

No seat pads  

Have resting seat pads that are found on their rumps- making resting and sleeping more comfortable  

Grooming  

Do not groom very much  

Groom a lot  

Tree Living  

Live in trees  

Can live in trees or on the ground  

Noses  

Have flat noses  

Nostrils are close together  

Size  

Usually smaller than Old World  

Larger than New World  

 

Whether they are from the New World or Old World, monkeys can live in different habitats:

  • Jungle
  • Rain Forest
  • The Dry Plains
  • Forest
  • Cliffs
  • Mountains
  • Desert
  • Trees
  • On the Ground

 Fun Facts

Japanese macaques live in cold snowy mountains and like to take baths in hot natural springs.

Owl monkeys live in hollow trees just like some owls.

Langur monkeys can be found hanging out on hotel ledges in India.

 

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