Monkeys clean and comb one another'sfur. This behavior is called grooming and is a sign offriendliness and caring.
Monkeys also communicate with each otherin a lot of different ways. Some of their talk is throughsound. They hoot, howl, cry, holler, and shriek. Thesounds that monkeys make can have different meanings. They cantell each other that they have found food or warn each other aboutdanger. Another way monkeys communicate is by spraying theirscent on trees. The scent can let other monkeys know who isaround whose territory they're in.
Monkeys make pretty good moms, too. When baby monkeys are first born they hang onto the underside oftheir mother. After only a few days, the baby slides to the topof the mother's back and rides piggyback. Mom monkeys groomtheir babies, feed them, and take care of them until they are oldenough to take care of themselves.
GettingAround
Monkeys can get around their habitats indifferent ways. Scientists use three fancy words to describethe ways in which they move around.
- Walking on all four legs.
- Swinging from trees by placing one hand over the other.
- Walking or running on only two legs.
Eating
Monkeys will eat just about anything. Some of their favorite things to eat are insects, birds, butterflies,bamboo shoots, eggs, frogs, fruit, flowers, buds, and leaves. Several monkeys get their names from the types of things that theyeat. For instance, crab eating macaques live by the water andeat crabs.
Leaf eating monkeys have special stomachsthat allow them to break down unripe fruit and leaves. Somespecies of monkeys have cheek pouches so that they can store food intheir mouths for later.
Fun Facts
Thegray-cheeked mangabeymakes a very loud call that can be heard from over 5,000 feetaway!
Whentiti monkeys cuddle they twist their tails together.
Babyspidermonkeys sometimes are too smallto reach the branches when swinging from tree to tree. The motherhelps her baby by stretching her body out to make a living monkeybridge. The little baby is then able to crawl across his motherand grab onto the branch safely.
MonkeyJokes | Parent/TeacherResources
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