200 Weird Facts About Monkey's

If you're a fan of our primate cousins, you'll love learning these fascinating 200 facts about monkeys. From their unique physical characteristics to their social behaviors and intelligence, monkeys are truly amazing creatures that have captivated humans for centuries. Whether you're an animal lover, a biologist, or just someone looking to expand your knowledge, these facts about monkeys will surprise and delight you.

200 Weird Facts About Monkey's

Monkeys mostly live in jungles.
Monkeys and apes have relations but are not the same.
Monkeys have tails on their bodies. They also have snouts and are less intelligent. Apes do not have tails and are more intelligent. Additionally, apes are not found in North America and Europe.
The male mandrill is the largest monkey in the world.
These monkeys grow up to 1 meter long. They also weigh around 35kg on average. This primate is also a member of the Old World family.
There is only one wild monkey found in Europe.
This is the tailless Barbary macaque. They are normally found in parts of Northern Africa and the British territory of Gibraltar. These monkeys are also known as the Barbary ape or maggot.
The chacma baboons live in Africa’s Namib desert.
Male mandrills have much brighter faces than females do
The ancient Egyptians considered the Hamadryas Baboon to be sacred. One of their gods, Thoth was regularly drawn as a man with the head of this baboon.
The monkey is the 9th animal in the Chinese zodiac. People born in a year of the monkey are supposedly intelligent, lively, and creative, but might also be selfish and impatient.
The capuchin monkey is the most common and the most intelligent of the New World monkeys.
The spider monkey is the most acrobatic of the New World monkeys, and it has been know to leap across gaps as large as 35 feet.
Monkeys are found almost everywhere on Earth, except for Australia and Antarctica.
The Diana monkey was named for the Roman goddess of hunting because the stripe on its forehead resembles Diana bow.
One of the monkey species is called a spider monkey. Want to know why? Well this is because it has a really long tail and spidery limbs.
Imagine a monkey looking like a spider! They can walk on two legs across the tree tops. Cool! Their tail also helps them to swing, just like Tarzan!
The monkeys with the longest noses are called proboscis.
They are only found on the south of the continent of Australia and the island of Borneo.
Monkeys are very sneaky sometimes! In cities like Bangkok they like to steal food from wherever they can find it. Watch out if you’re ever there!
At the tip of a monkey's tail is a patch of bare skin that acts similar to a human's fingertips. It is sensitive to touch and also has tiny ridges that gives the tail a better grip.
In Hindu, Hanuman ("disfigured jaw") is a human-like monkey god who commanded a monkey army. Interestingly, women were not allowed to worship the monkey god.
Monkeys are superior to men in this: when a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey.- Malcolm de Chazal
Monkeys that live in Central and South America are called "New World monkeys." Monkeys that live in Africa and Asia are called "Old World monkeys."
Contrary to popular opinion, humans did not come from monkeys. Rather, humans and monkeys share a common ancestor 25-30 million years ago and then evolved from this animal in various different ways.
On Yakushima island Japan, monkeys groom and share food with deer in exchange for a ride.
After weeks of training, rhesus monkeys learned to recognize themselves in a mirror. The first thing they did was to promptly examine their genitals, every intimate nook, and cranny.
The "Monkey Orchid" is a flower that has evolved to look like the grinning face of a monkey. Ironically, instead of smelling like bananas, it smells like a ripe orange.
Alexander I, the king of Greece, died from sepsis after being bit by one of his pet monkeys. His death led to a war that killed over 100,000 people.
Patas monkeys are the fastest primates on the planet.
These monkeys can run at speeds of 34 mph. These monkeys are also known as the wadi monkey or hussar monkey. They are commonly found around the areas of West Africa and parts of East Africa.
Chimpanzees were once used for vaccination research during the 1970s.
The research was in a now-abandoned research facility known as the New York Blood Center. When the research closed down in 2005, the remaining chimps were set free. They occupied a small landmass that was later dubbed as monkey island.
One of the rarest and unique looking monkeys in the world is the uakari.
They look quite similar to the orangutan but their faces are pink. Often, they will turn a bright red when they become angry or get excited. They are also known to make noises that sound similar to human laughter.
The country has over 16 genera and over 77 species of other primates. Second to this is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They have a total of 18 genera and 37 primate species.
The 6 features include forward-facing eyes, eye sockets, nails, fingerprints, hands, and large brains. Humans and monkeys look similar due to a common ancestor they had from millions of years ago.
Monkeys use a variation of body language to communicate with each other.
They make faces and large body movements to communicate with other primates. They also pull on their lips and make noises at other monkeys.
Species that are commonly found in tropical forests are slowly losing their homes to deforestation and forest fires. As of 2007, scientists have over 21 primate species marked as endangered due to this problem. 46 other species are also now vulnerable to extinction.
They also often make peace with other monkeys by offering to groom their fur. Grooming is an essential part of socializing amongst monkeys.
The mustached emperor tamarin is believed to have been named for German Emperor Wilhelm II. Both have impressive mustaches.
French surgeon Serge Voronoff (1866-1951) gained notoriety when he grafted monkey testicles into the scrotum of human patients in an attempt to cure infertility and increase their sex drive.
A 22-year-old primate researcher at Emory died after a rhesus monkey infected with the herpes B virus threw a tiny drop of fluid, mostly likely from urine or feces, at her face as she was transporting the animal.
Italian Professor Sergio Canavero claimed to have conducted the first monkey head transplant without any neurological injury to the animal. However, he did not connect the spinal cord, so the monkey was completely paralyzed. It was only kept alive for only 20 hours after the procedure for ethical reasons.
The scientific name for a gorilla is Gorilla gorilla gorilla.
Raw and cooked brain of dead monkey is widely consumed in China and Malaysia.
Scientists observed female monkeys teaching their young how to floss their teeth.
The smallest monkey in the world is the pygmy marmoset, with a body as little as 5 inches (12 cm) and a tail length of about 7 inches (17 cm). As a comparison, they are about the size of a hamster, can fit in the palm of a human hand, and they weigh the same as a pack of cards.
Though small, pygmy marmosets can leap 15 feet into the air
The most recently discovered monkey is the lesula monkey. It was discovered in 2007 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.
Diseases that can spread from monkey to humans include Ebola Reston, B virus (Cercopithecine herpesvirus 1), monkey pox, yellow fever, simian immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, and other diseases not yet known or identified.
Old World monkeys can see the same as humans do. They can differentiate colours and pick up red, blue, and green hues. However, many New World monkeys are not able to see any colours at all and only see in black and white.
Often they get into all sorts of trouble due to their curiosity. Monkeys kept in captivity have to be constantly entertained. This is so that they do not cause destructive or violent behaviors due to their boredom.
These allow them to climb well and find food sources better. Without these, they would not be able to peel bananas. Certain other animals also have opposable thumbs such as koalas, pandas, and certain frog species.
More specifically, New World monkeys do not carry the zoonotic disease that is normally associated with Old World monkeys. These monkeys carry various diseases but can never catch a common cold.
Howler monkeys live in groups known as troops. In the group, only one male monkey is known to howl in the morning.
Monkeys are loud, very loud! You can hear the booming sound of monkeys from about 1 mile (1.6 km) away.
Now, this is quite something…monkeys have feelings, just like us. They can feel love, fear, and compassion.
They can also hate things too…so be aware and make sure to keep on their good side.
This is cute. Monkeys hold hands and groom each other with lots of affection and love.
Larger monkeys are strong and super speedy. They have sharp claws that can actually kill.
Monkeys work in groups when they’re on the hunt for some yummy food.
There’s always a leader who gathers the food, while the other monkeys stand guard.
They speak their own language and alert each other to danger.
Mandrill monkeys have fangs that are longer than a lion's fangs. They also have multi-colored bottoms which make them easier to see in the leafy gloom of the forest.
The fastest primate on Earth is the patas monkey. It can reach speeds of 34 miles per hour (55 km/h).
Patas monkeys are the fastest runners among the primates
The uakari is one of the rarest and most unusual-looking of all the New World monkeys. While it looks similar to an orangutan, its face is pink, which often turns bright red when the animal becomes excited or angry. It also makes a noise similar to a human laughing.
While monkeys and apes are related, they are very different from each other. Monkeys have tails, have snouts, and they are not as intelligent as apes. Additionally, apes are not found in North or South America or Europe, while monkeys are.
The Japanese macaque is the northernmost monkey and is capable of living in more than 3 feet of snow in as temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius).
The largest monkey in the world is the male mandrill. It is almost 1 meter (3.3 feet) long and weighs about 35 kilograms (77 pounds).
The male howler monkey has the loudest call of any other primate and is one of the loudest animals in the world. Interestingly, the louder the howler monkey, the smaller its testicles and the lower its sperm count.
A howler monkey's howl can travel three miles through dense rainforest.
Capuchin monkeys are named after the 16th-century monks because the monkey's hair resembles the monks' hooded robes.
Mandrill monkeys have fangs longer than a lion’s.
These monkeys also have colorful bottoms that make them easy to detect in leafy surroundings. These monkeys are also one of two species that are in the genus Mandrillus. They are also commonly found in Southern Cameroon. They mostly live in tropical forests.
The primate with the longest tail is the female spider monkey.
Despite its body only being 2 feet long, its tail spans up to 3 feet in length. Their tails are also capable of carrying their entire body weight. Their tails are also able to pick up objects that are as small as a peanut.
Humans did not come from monkeys.
To be more precise, humans and monkeys had a common ancestor from 25-30 million years ago. From then, each species evolved differently.
There is a human-like monkey god in Hinduism.
This monkey is also one of the loudest animals on the planet. Its howl can travel up to 3 miles away through dense forests. Research states that the louder the noise the howler monkey makes, the lower sperm count it has. These monkeys also tend to have smaller testicles.
Its name was from 16th-century monks who would wear brown coloured robes. These robes closely resembled the monkey’s hair. Their garments have the name Capuchin robes.
They are also referred to as a barrel, cartload, or tribe. Their groups travel together in search of food and new habitats to take place in. They defend valuable resources together and group against anyone who opposes their species.
Baboons have a "language" of more than 30 sounds. They communicate through actions such as shrugging and lip-smacking, too.
Picking out parasites and dirts from each others' furs is a way for monkeys to communicate, form social hierarchies, and strengthen family and friendship bonds.
Found only in the Chinese province of Yunnan, the black snub-nosed monkey lives at the higest altitudes, near 15,000 feet (4,572 m) of any primate.
A group of monkeys is variously called a troop, barrel, carload, cartload, or tribe."
A group of monkeys is called a troop or a barrel
To identify themselves more easily, squirrel monkeys will smear food on their tails, much like how humans may wear name tags.
The tip of a monkey’s tail has a patch of bare skin.
This part of the tail acts similarly to that of a human’s fingertip. This tip is sensitive to touch and has tiny ridges that allow for a better grip. A monkey’s tail helps them with stability while climbing trees or jumping.
People call an overly obese monkey in Thailand 'Uncle Fat'.
This monkey has overfed itself with junk food and soda left by tourists. This monkey is also known as the leader of its group and makes his subordinates bring him food.
Scientists discovered the lesula monkey in 2007.
This species of monkey is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. The lesula possesses a human-looking nose and is a highly social being.
Monkeys can spread diseases to humans.
During the 1940s, a research institute offered sweet potatoes to monkeys used in their research. They noticed that the monkey did not like the taste of dirt on the vegetable and wash them first before eating. Much later, humans also developed the same habit of washing their food before eating or cooking them.
In Britain, they use over 10,000 monkeys. Japan, on the other hand, uses millions of monkeys each year to test and experiment on cosmetics, medicine, etc. They use monkeys because science suggests that they will have similar reactions to humans.
A monkey has two main habitats depending on the species. This includes arboreal and terrestrial territories. Contrary to popular belief, most species of monkeys live on the ground and not in trees.
They also consume insects, flowers, leaves, and even other animals. Some species of monkeys also eat the eggs of other animals. Chimpanzees regularly hunt for meat and other monkeys also eat its species.
The only places where you won’t find them are the Antarctic and in Australia. A theory suggests it is due to the geological movement that took place over 175 million years ago. While Australia and Asia are relatively close, they have not been close since the separation of Pangaea long ago.
They are the most acrobatic amongst the New World monkeys. They can leap over gaps as large as 35 feet wide. Spider monkeys eat while they climb or hang which is most probably how it got its name.
Generally, most monkeys can survive in the wild for over 30-50 years. However, New World monkeys have better adapted to current situations which allows them to survive better in their habitat.
Monkeys also live in groups or tribe which allow them to help each other survive as well.
The most common monkey in the world is the Capuchin. It is also considered the most intelligent among the New World monkeys. Many people all over the world breed them and make them pets. However, some countries and states forbid this.
Also known as the golden marmoset, they take their name from Africa’s great cats. The total number of species is decreasing due to the loss of trees which they use for their habitats. These golden monkeys are in the rapidly diminishing Atlantic forest.
Their groups usually consist of 350-650 members. These monkeys are also called bleeding heart monkeys because of the red marks on their chests. While they may have similar features with the baboon, they are not classified as such.
These monkeys groom and share food with local deer in exchange for rides to their destinations. Some research has found rare interspecies behavior among the two species as well. Some monkeys attempted to mate with other deers.
A recently discovered monkey, the Burmese sneezing monkey, sneezes whenever it rains.
A group of 15 captive monkeys at a primate research institute in Japan used tree branches to fling themselves over a high-voltage electric fence. They were later lured back to the research center with peanuts.
To prove that children need a mother's love, scientist Harry Harlow subjected baby monkeys to horrific experiments in what was called the "The Pit of Despair" in which he isolated and tortured baby monkeys.
These creatures can understand written numbers as well. In rare cases, some monkeys are even able to do basic arithmetic and even multiplication.
Apes, lemurs, gibbons, and chimpanzees are not classified as monkeys.
Scientifically, they are all primates. However, much like the human species, they have a different classification of monkeys. Almost all species of monkeys have tails, yet apes do not.
A woman from Columbia claims that monkeys raised her.
This is mainly because the Egyptian God Thoth would be regularly drawn as a man with the head of a baboon. This species closely resembles the head depicted in Egyptian drawings.
The stripe on its head closely resembles the bow that the Roman goddess held. Diana was also called Artemis. She is the goddess of hunting.
They normally pick out dirt and parasites from each other’s fur. This social ritual helps monkeys strengthen family and group bonds with each other. It is also how they form their social hierarchies.
This is a common practice that they do to better identify themselves. Other monkeys will smear food on their tails, other monkeys with dirt.
The black snub-nosed monkeys are only in the Chinese province of Yunnan.
The female spider monkey has the longest tail of all the primates. Even though its body is only 2 feet long, its tail can reach 3 feet in length. Their tails can carry the monkey's entire body weight and even pick up items as small as peanuts.
The owl monkey (night monkey) is the only nocturnal New World monkey. They are also one of the few monkey species affected by malaria, which means they have been used in non-human primate malaria experiments.
Africa's the Namib Desert is home to the chacma baboons. One hardy chacma baboon troop survived 116 days without water in the desert by eating figs.
The only wild monkey in Europe is the tailless Barbary macaque, which is found in parts of Northern Africa and the British territory of Gibraltar.
These monkeys are more than capable of living within temperatures lower than 5 degrees Celsius. They are in the northernmost parts of Japan. Some are even found in towns rich in natural hot springs.
People believe that those born during the year of the monkey are lively and intelligent. They are also said to be creative yet very impatient.
These monkeys live in the highest altitudes of any primate. They reside in mountains up to 15,000 feet high. This species got its name from its black fur and distinctive nose feature.
Research states that baboons have over 30 different types of sounds that they make. They also communicate through actions such as shrugging and lip movements. The sounds they make are often referred to as the baboon bark.
Oh, monkeys are naughty creatures, who love to play around and terrorize people and other animals!
There are around 260 monkey species in the world. Most of them live in trees except for a few who seem to prefer the ground like baboons.
In general, monkeys are thought of as highly intelligent animals.
There are a few characteristics that are shared by most species. For example there are New World Monkeys and Old World monkeys. New World monkeys have tails that can grasp and hold things, but Old World monkeys don’t have this.
It’s quite easy to see the difference between Old World and New World monkeys just by their faces, which look rather different from each other.
Old World monkeys are found in Africa and New World monkeys are found in South America.
The length of monkeys range from 5 to 6 inches (140 to 160 mm) including their tails.
They weigh about 4 to 5 ounces, which is about 120 to 140 grams.
But sometimes a leader will be a bit of a liar. If he’s found some food he likes, he’ll warn the others that there’s danger and keep it all for him. That’s not so cool.
Now you know all about the world of monkeys!
They are super cute, yet super naughty too. But remember they’re very clever, so watch out.
Monkeys can understand written numbers and can even count. They can also understand basic parts of arithmetic and even, in rare cases, multiplication.
To attract a female partner, male capuchin monkeys will urinate in their hands and then rub it thoroughly into their fur.
The origins of the word "monkey" are unclear. It appears also to be related to manikin, from the Dutch Manneken ("little man"). It could also be derived from the name of a popular medieval beast story in which the son of an ape is named "Moneke."
A Colombian woman claimed that she was raised by a colony of capuchin monkeys after being kidnapped and abandoned in the jungle when she was just 4 years old.
"Uncle Fat" is a morbidly obese monkey in Thailand who gorged himself on junk food and soda that tourists had left behind. As the leader of his troop, this gluttonous monkey also had subordinate monkeys bringing him goodies.
Apes, gibbons, lemurs, and chimpanzees are not scientifically classified as monkeys. They are all primates, but, like humans, they have a different classification to monkeys.
An abandoned medical research facility called the New York Blood Center used wild chimpanzees in its vaccination research in the 1970s. When the research facility shut down in 2005, the 66 remaining chimps were set free on a small landmass soon dubbed "Monkey Island."
Old World Monkeys have narrow noses that point down, don't hang in trees, are larger, don't have prehensile tails, and have strange sitting pads on their bottoms. New World monkeys have flatter noses, live in trees, and have prehensile tails.
The first primate in space was a rhesus macaque named Albert. On June 14, 1949, Albert was sent into space to test the effects of space travel on a body. While he survived the flight, he died when the rocket parachute failed.
Monkeys are long-lived, surviving in the wild anywhere between 10 and 50 years.
Ethiopian geladas form the largest monkey troops in the world, numbering from 350 to 650 individuals.
Due to the loss of trees in their native habitat, only about 1,500 golden lion tamarins exist in the wild.
Each year, about 55,000 primates are used as test animals in the U.S., and about 10,000 are used in Great Britain. Japan uses millions of primates.
When researchers offered the Japanese macaque sweet potatoes during research in the 1940s, the monkeys didn't like the taste of the dirt on the veggies, so they washed it off. Now, generations later, washing food has become a learned behavior. No other monkeys in the world are known to wash their food before eating.
HIV was created in the stomach of a chimp who had eaten two different types of monkeys that had two different viruses. The two viruses combined to form a hybrid virus, which then spread through the chimp species, and then later was transmitted to humans.
White-faced capuchin monkeys rub their fur with the Giant African Millipedes, which acts as a form of insect repellent.
The woman claims that after her kidnapping and abandonment in the jungle at the age of 4, a group of wild capuchin monkeys adopted her. Marina Chapman is widely known for this claim, yet there is no evidence to prove this. Could we have found our real-life Tarzan?
The list of diseases that monkeys can spread to our species includes the B virus, monkeypox, yellow fever, and other unidentified illnesses. You can also catch Ebola Reston from a monkey that may have it.
The pygmy marmoset is the smallest known monkey in the world.
Its body generally sizes up to 5 inches tall and has a tail length of 7 inches. You can compare their size to that of a hamster that fits in the palm of your hand. These monkeys weigh as much as a deck of cards.
Hanuman was a god that commanded a monkey army. However, women were not allowed to worship this god. This god is the central character in the epic of Ramanaya. He is often described as the son of Pawan and is famous for his great strength and loyalty.
The owl monkey is better remembered as the night monkey.
The rhesus macaque was the first monkey to be in space.
The monkey, Albert, tested the effects of space travel on a body. Albert survived the experiment, yet passed away during the rocket’s parachute failure.
According to research, a group of chacma baboons once survived 116 days in the desert without any water. They survived solely by eating figs they found.
Japanese macaques are capable of living in extremely cold environments.
The chimp in question had eaten two other monkeys that had two different viruses. These viruses then combined and formed a hybrid virus. This later spread through the chimp species and spread onto humans.
More specifically, they rub their fur with giant African millipedes. Research states that they do this to repel other insects from going near them.
While they are illegal in most parts of the world, humans trained these primates are to offer help. Some are even used as companions for those with disabilities.
Monkeys and apes can catch yawns from other humans or primates. Research has shown that 60% of people catch a yawn from others and this is what causes you to yawn as well. Yawning helps the brain cool down and wake itself up.
When a mother primate loses a child, they mourn for it. They can show anger towards other members of the group. Monkeys are also known to feel affection and jealousy towards other monkeys.

From the smallest pygmy marmoset to the largest mandrill, monkeys are a diverse and fascinating group of animals. With their intelligence, agility, and social skills, they have adapted to live in a wide variety of environments, from rainforests to deserts. Whether swinging from trees, grooming each other, or using tools to solve problems, monkeys are constantly surprising us with their abilities. We hope you've enjoyed learning these 200 facts about monkeys and that they've given you a new appreciation for these amazing creatures.

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