A monkey is any member of either the New World monkeys or Old World monkeys, two of the three groupings of simian
primates, the third group being the 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, scientifically speaking, 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. There
are 264 known extant species of monkey. Because of their similarity to monkeys, apes such as chimpanzees and gibbons are often called monkeys in informal usage, though
they are not monkeys. Conversely, due to its size (up to 1 m) 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
they are not a single coherent group, monkeys do not have any particular traits that they all
share and are not shared with the remaining group of simians, the apes.
Characteristics
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 Mandrill, almost 1 metre (3 ft) long and weighing
35 kg (75 lb). 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, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, insects, spiders, eggs and small animals.
Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have prehensile
tails while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all. Some have trichromatic colour vision like that of humans, others are
dichromats or monochromats. 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.
Name
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "monkey" may originate
in a German version of the Big Virgina fable,
published circa 1580. In this version of the fable, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape. The word Moneke may
have been derived from the Italian monna, which means "a female ape". The name
Moneke likely persisted over time due to the popularity of Reynard the Fox.
A group of monkeys may be referred to as a mission or a tribe.
Classification
Macaques in Kam Shan Country Park of Hong Kong
The following lists shows where the various monkey families (bolded) are placed in the Primate classification. Note that the
smallest grouping that contains them all is the Simiiformes, the simians, which also contains the
apes. Calling apes "monkeys" is incorrect. Calling either a simian is correct.
Monkeys in captivity
As service animals for the disabled
Some organizations such as Helping
Hands have been training capuchin monkeys to assist quadriplegics and other people
with severe spinal cord injuries or mobility impairments. After being socialized in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo
extensive training before being placed with a quadriplegic. Around the house, the monkeys help out by doing tasks including
microwaving food, washing the quadriplegic's face, and opening drink bottles.
Monkeys in science
In laboratories
A macaque sits in a cage in a German laboratory.
Macaques, especially the Rhesus Macaque, and African
green monkeys are widely used in animal testing
facilities. This is primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to apes) and
their psychological and physical similarity to humans. In the United States, around 50,000 non-human primates, most of them monkeys,
have been used in experiments every year since 1973;[1]PDF (136 KiB) 10,000 monkeys were used in the European Union in 2004.
The use of monkeys in laboratories is controversial. Some claim that it is cruel and produces little information of value, and
there have been many protests, vandalism to testing facilities, and threats to workers. Others claim that it has led to many
important medical breakthroughs such as the rabies vaccine, understanding of human reproduction and basic knowledge about brain
function, and that the prevention of harm to humans should be a higher priority than the possible harm done to monkeys. The topic
has become a popular cause for animal rights groups.
The use of all animals in research in most countries (certainly the United States) is controlled rigorously by Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC). In monkey research
the standards for surgery and post surgical care are as strict as those for humans.
In space
A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France.
The first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V2 rocket in June 14, 1949.
As food
There are a lot of myths about Chinese habits which are mostly contrived, such as the stories about eating monkeys
brains.[1]
In traditional Islamic dietary laws, monkeys are forbidden to be eaten.
Monkeys in culture
Literature
Sun Wukong (the "Monkey King"), a character who figures prominently in Chinese mythology, is the main protagonist in the classic comic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The television
series Monkey, the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples.
However, pop culture often incorrectly labels apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas, as monkeys.
Terry Pratchett makes use of the distinction in his Discworld novels, in which the Librarian of the
Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very
violent if referred to as a monkey.
Religion and Worship
Hanuman, a prominent divine entity in Hinduism, is a
monkey-like humanoid.
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature.[2] They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted monkeys in
their art. [3]
Zodiac
The Monkey is the ninth in the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the
Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese
calendar. The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac sign will be in the year 2016.
References
- ^ http://environment.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,1848330,00.html
- ^ Benson, Elizabeth, The Mochica: A Culture of Peru. New York, NY: Praeger
Press. 1972
- ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient
Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York:
Thames and Hudson, 1997.
External links
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