The monkey's tail was very long. Monkey

The most developed, most intelligent monkeys are anthropoids. That’s how the word begs to be called – humanoid. And all because they have a lot in common with our species. We can talk about apes a lot, for a long time and with passion, simply because they are really close to our species. But first things first.

There are 4 types of these animals:

• gorillas,
• orangutans,
• chimpanzee,
• bonobos (or pygmy chimpanzees).

Bonobos and chimpanzees are very similar to each other, but the remaining two species are not at all similar to each other or to chimpanzees. However, all great apes There are many similarities, for example:

• they have no tail,
• similar structure of the hands of the upper limbs and by human hands,
• the volume of the brain is very large (at the same time, its surface is full of grooves and convolutions, and this indicates high level intelligence of these animals)
• there are 4 blood types,
• In medicine, bonobo blood is used for transfusion to a person with a suitable blood type.

All these facts indicate the “blood” relationship of these creatures with people.

Both species of gorillas and chimpanzees live in Africa, and this continent, as you know, is considered the cradle of all humanity. The orangutan, according to scientists, our most genetically distant relative among the great apes, lives in Asia.

common chimpanzee

Chimpanzee social life

Chimpanzees usually live in groups, with an average of 15-20 individuals. The group, which is headed by one male leader, also includes females and males of all ages. Groups of chimpanzees occupy territories, which the males themselves protect from incursions by neighbors.

In places where there is enough food for a group to live comfortably, chimpanzees lead a sedentary lifestyle. However, if there is not enough food for the entire group, then they wander over fairly long distances in search of food. It happens that the territories of residence of several groups overlap. In this case, they unite for some time. It is interesting that in all conflicts the advantage goes to the group that contains more males and which, therefore, turns out to be stronger. Chimpanzees do not create permanent families. This means that any adult male has the right to freely choose his next girlfriend from among the adult females, both from his own group and from the group that has joined.

After an 8-month gestation period, a female chimpanzee gives birth to one absolutely helpless baby. Up to a year of life, the female carries the baby on her stomach, after which the baby independently transfers to her back. For as long as 9-9.5 years, the female and the cub are practically inseparable. His mother teaches him everything she can do, shows him the world and other group members. There are cases when teenagers are sent to their " kindergarten ik". there they frolic with peers under the supervision of several adults, usually females. When the baby turns 13 years old, the chimpanzee enters adulthood and begins to be considered independent members of the pack. At the same time, young males begin to fight for leadership,

Chimpanzees are quite aggressive animals. Conflicts often occur in the group, which even escalate into bloody fights, which often end in death. Apes are able to establish relationships with each other through a wide range of facial expressions, gestures and sounds with which they convey their approval. These animals express friendly feelings through picking each other's fur.

Chimpanzees get their food in the trees and on the ground, feeling in their place in both places. Their food includes:

• plant food,
• insects,
• small living creatures.

In addition, hungry chimpanzees as a whole group can go out hunting and capture, for example, a gazelle for shared food.

Skillful hands and a smart head

Chimpanzees are extremely smart, they are able to use tools, deliberately selecting the most convenient tool. They are even capable of improving it. For example, to climb into an anthill, an ape uses a twig: it selects a twig of appropriate size and optimizes it by tearing off the leaves on it. Or, for example, they use a stick to knock down a tall growing fruit. Or to hit an opponent with it during a fight.

To break a nut, the monkey places it on a flat stone specially selected for this purpose, and uses another sharp stone to break the shell.

To quench their thirst, the chimpanzee uses a large leaf and uses it as a scoop. Or he makes a sponge from a pre-chewed leaf, dips it in a stream and squeezes the water into his mouth.

When hunting, great apes can stone a victim to death; a hail of cobblestones will await a predator, for example, a leopard, who dares to hunt these animals.

In order not to get wet when crossing a pond, chimpanzees are able to build a bridge from sticks, and they will use wide leaves as an umbrella, fly swatter, fan and as toilet paper.

Gorilla

Good giants or monsters?

It’s easy to imagine the feelings of the person who first saw a gorilla in front of him - a humanoid giant, frightening aliens with menacing screams, beating his chest with his fists, breaking and uprooting young trees. Such encounters with forest monsters gave birth to horror stories and tales about the fiends of hell, whose superhuman strength poses a mortal danger, if not for the human race, then for its psyche.

Unfortunately, this is not an exaggeration. Such legends, which pushed the public to the fact that these humanoid creatures began to be treated too incorrectly, at one time caused an almost uncontrolled, panicky extermination of gorillas. The species was threatened with complete extinction if it were not for the work and efforts of scientists who took under their protection these giants, about whom in those years people knew almost nothing at all.

As it turned out, it seemed these creepy monsters are the most peaceful herbivores who eat only plant foods. Besides they are almost completely non-aggressive, but demonstrate their strength and, even more so, use it only when there is real danger and if someone comes to their territory.

Moreover, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, gorillas try to scare off offenders, it doesn’t matter whether it’s another male, a ruler of another species, or a human. That's when everything comes into play possible means to intimidate:

• screams,
• pounding your chest with your fists,
• breaking down trees, etc.

Features of the life of a gorilla

Gorillas, like chimpanzees, live in small groups, but their numbers are usually smaller - 5-10 individuals. Among them there is usually the head of the group - the eldest male, several females with cubs of different ages and 1-2 young males. The leader is easy to recognize: It has silver-gray fur on its back.

By the age of 14, the male gorilla becomes sexually mature, and instead of black fur, a light stripe appears on his back.

An already mature male is enormous: he is 180 cm tall and sometimes weighs 300 kg. The one of the silver-backed males who turns out to be the eldest becomes the leader of the group. The care of all family members is entrusted to his powerful shoulders.

The main male in the group gives signals to wake up at sunrise and to sleep at sunset, he himself chooses the path in the thickets along which the rest of the group will go in search of food, regulates order and peace in the group. He also protects all of his people from impending dangers, of which there are many in the rainforest.

The younger generation in the group is raised by their own mothers. However, if the baby suddenly becomes orphaned, then it is the leader of the pack who takes them under his wing. He will carry them on his back, sleep next to them and make sure that their games are not dangerous.

When protecting orphan cubs, the leader may even fight with a leopard or even with armed people.

Often the capture of a baby gorilla entails not only the death of its mother, but also the death of the leader of the group. The remaining members of the group, deprived of protection and care, young animals and helpless females also stand on the edge of the abyss if one of the single males does not take responsibility for the orphaned family.

Orangutans

Orangutan: features of life

"Orangutan" is translated from Malay as "man of the forest." This name refers to large apes that live in the jungles of the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Orangutans are one of the most amazing creatures on earth. They differ in many ways from other apes.

Orangutans are arboreal. Even though their weight is quite significant, 65-100 kg, they climb trees remarkably well even at a height of 15-20 m. They prefer not to go down to the ground.

Of course, due to the weight of their body, they cannot jump from branch to branch, but at the same time they are able to confidently and quickly climb trees.

Orangutans eat almost around the clock, eating

• fruit,
• foliage,
• bird eggs,
• chicks.

In the evenings, orangutans build their homes, and each one has his own place, where they settle down for the night. They sleep holding a branch with one of their paws so as not to fall down in their sleep.

Every night, orangutans settle down in a new place, for which they again build a “bed” for themselves. These animals practically do not form groups, preferring a solitary life or life in pairs (mother - cubs, female - male), although there are cases when a pair of adults and several cubs of different ages form almost a family.

The female of these animals gives birth to 1 cub. His mother takes care of him for about 7 years, until he is old enough to live independently.

Up to 3 years old, a baby orangutan eats only mother's milk, and only after this period the mother begins to give him solid food. She chews the leaves for him, thus making a vegetable puree for him.

She is preparing the baby for adult life, teach him to climb trees correctly and build a place to sleep. Baby orangutans are very playful and affectionate, and they perceive the entire process of education and training as an entertaining game.

Orangutans are very savvy animals. In captivity, they learn to use tools and are even able to make them themselves. But in conditions of free life, these apes rarely use their abilities: the incessant search for food does not give them time to develop their natural intelligence.

Bonobos

The bonobo, or pygmy chimpanzee, is our closest relative

Few people know about the existence of our closest relative, the bonobo. Although the set of genes in the dwarf chimpanzee coincides with the set of human genes by as much as 98%! They are also very close to us in the basics of social-emotional behavior.

They live in Central Africa, northeast and northwest Congo. They never leave tree branches and move on the ground very rarely.

Characteristic behavioral features of this species are joint hunting.. They can wage war among themselves, then the presence of power politics is revealed.

Bonobos have no sign language, so characteristic of other creatures. They give each other vocal signals and they are very different from the signals of the second type of chimpanzee.

The bonobo's voice consists of high, harsh and barking sounds. For hunting they use various primitive objects: stones, sticks. In captivity, their intellect gets the opportunity to grow and express itself. There, they become real masters in mastering objects and inventing new ones.

Bonobos do not have a leader like other primates. Distinctive and characteristic feature pygmy chimpanzees is also what at the head of their group or the whole community is a female.

Females stay in groups. They also include cubs and juveniles up to 6 years of age. The males stay away, but not nearby.

It is interesting that almost all aggressive outbursts in bonobos are replaced by elements of mating behavior.

The fact that females dominate among them was revealed by scientists in an experiment when combined with groups of monkeys of both species. In bonobo groups, females are the first to eat. If the male does not agree, then the females join forces and expel the male. Fights never occur during eating, but mating always occurs just before eating.

Conclusion

As many wise books claim, animals are our smaller brothers. And we can say with confidence that apes are our brothers - our neighbors.

How many species of monkeys live on our planet, what do they eat, what are the features of their life? We enjoy reading about all this and watching TV shows. And this is not surprising, because we descended from a common ancestor. We have many similar features not only in appearance and skeletal structure, but also in behavior.

What types of monkeys are there?

Zoologists define two groups of primates, and these animals are classified according to them. They are divided into New and Old World primates. The first group includes monkeys living in Central and South America, and the second - in Asia and Africa. And each group has its own distinctive characteristics. New World monkeys have a tail that they can use to hold onto branches when moving through trees, and a wide nose. African and Asian primates very often do not have a tail, but even if they do have one, the animals do not use it as a kind of fifth limb; their nose is narrow. These two groups include more than one hundred and sixty species of monkeys.

Primates of South and Central America

The following monkeys (species) live in this area: marmosets, tamarins, capuchins, squirrel monkeys (56 species), owl and night monkeys, titi, sakis and Uakaris (41 species), howler monkeys, spider and woolly monkeys.

African and Asian primates

These continents are home to the most a large number of primates - more than 135 species. If you list all the types of monkeys, the list will be huge. They are grouped into broader categories: baboons, thin-bodied animals, colobus monkeys, mandrills, macaques. There is another category that includes the following species of apes: gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee) and gibbon.

Tamarins

These monkeys belong to the marmoset family. They live in the warmest areas South America: Brazil, Costa Rica, Tamarin basin are very easy to distinguish from other monkeys by their main characteristic distinctive feature are mustaches, although there are also representatives of this species without mustaches. Some have a downright lion's mane. And because of their very unusual appearance, these animals are constantly hunted - poachers catch tamarins for sale on the black market. This is why this species is facing extinction.

The length of the tamarin's body reaches from eighteen to thirty-five centimeters, with a tail - from twenty-three to forty-four centimeters, they weigh up to a kilogram. If we were to list the species of small monkeys, tamarins would top the list. Their main habitat is the highlands of Brazil. In these places the monkeys feel excellent: a mild, humid climate and plenty of food. Tamarins live in small groups of 5-10 individuals, which makes it easier for them to find food and protect themselves from predators. At night they sleep on tall trees, and when morning comes they begin to lead an active lifestyle: looking for food, looking after each other.

Tamarins are omnivores - they happily eat lizards, snails, insects, bird eggs, and plant foods - tree leaves, fruits, nuts and nectar. The food obtained is distributed equally among all members of the flock. If a stranger enters their territory, they all drive him out together, making frightening grimaces. The young animals are cared for by the whole group. Babies up to four months of age constantly move on their father's back. The monkeys talk to each other all the time, thereby informing each other about the food they have found and the approach of the enemy.

Monkeys

They belong to the monkey family. These are very small and funny monkeys. Types of monkeys: real and green, hussar, talapoin and others (23 in total). The body size is usually small (like a cat), the fur is thick and very soft. The color of these monkeys is very diverse: olive, gray-green, light gray, brown, red, blue, black. The muzzles are slightly elongated; some representatives of this species have mustaches, sideburns and beards. The tail is usually twice as long as the body. Ischial calluses are small in size.

These primates live mainly in forests. Monkeys feed on both plant and animal foods. The diet includes young tree branches and leaves, fruits, succulent grass, insects and small vertebrates. The monkeys flee from their enemies. It should be noted that the greatest danger to them is from people who catch them for sale. Monkeys can be tamed well, but to do this you need to take cubs. An adult monkey, once in captivity, is practically impossible to train.

Capuchins

More than thirty subspecies are combined into this one. The species of these primates form four groups. These monkeys live in Brazil and Honduras. They spend most of their time on the tops of tall trees. The body length of the animal reaches fifty centimeters. The head is round, with prominent cheekbones. The color of the muzzle is usually pink or white. On the top of the head there is a black crest, similar to a hood (in fact, because of this similarity the animal got its name).

Primates live in groups of 10 to 30 individuals. They work together to obtain food, defend themselves from enemies, and take care of their offspring. Capuchins are omnivores: they feed on both plant and animal foods. It should be noted that these monkeys are very smart. They can crack nuts with a stone and beat fruits on tree branches. Having caught it, they clean off the mucus from it, wiping it on a tree. Capuchin cubs spend all their time on their mother’s back for up to three months, crawling onto their chest to feed on milk. From the age of six months, they begin to lead a more independent lifestyle, eat adult food, but do not stray far from their mother.

Howler monkeys

Howler monkeys are the largest primates in the New World. They are the size of a dog. These monkeys have a long and very prehensile tail, which they constantly use when moving through the trees.

The primate's body is covered with thick but short hair. Long hair is only on the cone-shaped head. The jaw protrudes forward, somewhat similar to a dog's. The neck is very short, so it seems as if it is absent altogether. These primates spend most of their lives in trees. During the day they climb to the very tops, where they look for food, and at night they descend lower, settling down for the night in the dense branches of small trees. Howler monkeys are very afraid of water, as they absolutely cannot swim.

Monkeys feed on tree buds, leaves, succulent shoots and fruits. Howler monkeys unite in flocks that number from five to forty individuals. The female, as a rule, gives birth to one cub, which she feeds for up to 18 months. Young animals and childless females help look after the baby.

Baboons

The second name is yellow baboon. The length of the body reaches seventy-five centimeters, and the length of the tail is about sixty centimeters. The coat color is yellow - hence the name of the primate. Baboons live in Eastern and Central Africa(in mountain and steppe regions). They feed, like most primates, on plant and animal foods. The diet of baboons includes bulbs, lush grass, fruits, nuts, insects, lizards, bird eggs, etc.

Baboons never live alone. The group includes up to eighty individuals. There is a clear hierarchy in the flock, with several adult males dominating. In case of danger, they come to each other's aid. Between males and offspring are established friendly relations. Mature female cubs remain in the pack, but young males are forced to leave. Interestingly, herds of ungulates often join the flock of yellow baboons. The fact is that baboons have very acute vision, so they can warn of danger in time.

Mandrills

It is the largest species of non-ape primate. They live in West Africa. Mature males have very beautiful and bright colors. They have a bright pink nose and blue stripes on their muzzle. Females and young males do not have such bright colors. The weight of males sometimes reaches fifty-four kilograms. Females are much smaller.

The diet of primates includes both plant and animal foods. Mandrills eat more than one hundred and thirteen species of plants.

These monkeys live in families, which include one male and ten to fifteen females. Each family is assigned a territory of fifty square meters, which they mark with an odorous secret. Pregnancy in females lasts two hundred and twenty days. Babies are born from April to December, at this time there is a lot of food, so the females have time to feed them. The bond between mother and baby lasts a very long time. Until the age of three, the baby comes to spend the night with his mother.

Gorillas

Gorillas are the largest apes. These primates live in Africa. Until recently, the habitat of these monkeys was difficult to access. But the aborigines always knew about the proximity of these animals and tried not to meet them, believing that they had a ferocious disposition.

The growth of gorillas reaches almost two meters, and their weight is from one hundred and forty to two hundred kilograms. The body has a square shape. Fur and skin color is black. As males age, the fur on their backs turns grey. Like all primates, gorillas are diurnal. These monkeys feed exclusively on plant foods. They prefer stems and leaves, but fruits make up a small portion of the diet.

Gorillas have a very calm, even phlegmatic character, despite their terrifying appearance. The female mates only with the leader of the herd; pregnancy lasts eight and a half months. At first the cub rides on the mother’s back, and then walks next to her, holding on to her fur. Life expectancy is thirty to thirty-five years, but some individuals live for half a century.

The rarest species of monkeys

Man is very negligent about the surrounding nature. Many animals were on the verge of extinction, including monkeys. Some of these species include such a small number of individuals that scientists around the world are sounding the alarm. Thus, the Society for the Protection of Animals took custody of drils - primates that are listed in the Red Book. The population of these animals numbers no more than ten thousand individuals. All monkeys (species do not matter) are being exterminated by humans at a catastrophic rate. And if this continues, the planet may lose these wonderful animals.

Pets

Nowadays, a pet monkey is not at all uncommon. Many pet stores sell these exotic animals. But it is worth considering that not all types of primates take root well at home. Here are some species of domestic monkeys that adapt well to captivity: tamarins, marmosets, gibbons, marmosets, capuchins. These primates are unpretentious in keeping, but certain rules must be followed. So, they should have a spacious cage, proper nutrition. Do not hit the animal or yell at it under any circumstances, otherwise it will withdraw into itself, be aggressive and boring. In poor conditions, monkeys die very quickly.

On June 19, 2018, the most famous gorilla on the planet, Koko, died in the United States. Once upon a time, an experiment with her was supposed to confirm or refute ideas about how a person differs from a monkey. It has long been believed that gorillas are aggressive and practical, while humans are capable of empathy, the creation of abstract terms, a sense of humor and speech.

As the only talking gorilla, Koko was actually the gorillas' ambassador to the human world and did not fail in her high mission. At times, those who knew her say, she seemed more human than other people.

Gorilla in training

Coco ( full name- Hanabiko) has never been a forest savage. She was born in San Francisco. The loud fireworks in honor of Independence Day caused her mother to go into labor - because the deadline was approaching. The newborn was named “child of fireworks.” This is what her name means in Japanese.

When Coco was one year old, Dr. Francine Patterson, a biologist from Stanford University, began raising her. Patterson taught Coco to understand speech and speak American Sign Language. What began as a simple experiment grew into a warm, lifelong friendship.

The whole world followed Coco’s education and life. While Patterson was generally moderate and published her observations in the form scientific works Not very often, journalists closely recorded every achievement of Hanabiko. It turned out that she has a completely normal intelligence level - 95 (this is normal for a person), she understands about two thousand by ear English words(among them there are more polysemantic ones than in the Russian dictionary) and about a thousand gestures, making sentences of five to seven words.

Koko joked, described her feelings, talked about the feelings of other animals and people, understood what the degree of expression (for example, pain) was, distinguished the present tense from the past and future, fantasized, argued, insulted and lied to avoid a reprimand. She was interested in various activities, for example, she was interested in playing musical instruments, drawing and photography. Her self-portrait appeared on the cover of one of the issues of National Geographic magazine. Coco's drawings looked like children's scribbles, but she always knew exactly what she had drawn and could explain it. At twenty-three, Hanabiko, on her own initiative, wanted to have a kitten and spent a long time begging people for one. She knew how to make friends. When one of her friends, actor Robin Williams, died, she communicated her feelings with the phrase: “A woman is crying.”

Coco has raised several cats throughout her life. One of her cats ran away and died under the wheels of a car. All her life, Coco, when she saw a portrait of some similar cat, said that she was sad. Once upon a time she herself chose this kitten from several others. He didn't have a tail. Either he seemed to Coco like a child of a gorilla, or she felt sorry for him, but she felt incredible tenderness for the cat. She herself gave him a name, the meaning of which was probably related to the absence of a tail: “All Ball” (All Ball in sign language). Her other cats were called " Lipstick" and "Smoke".

The first word baby Coco learned in sign language was “drink.” This is one of those words that human children are among the first to utter. When Coco’s progress in the language began to amaze, they decided to test them further. The gorilla was given a speech synthesizer. By pressing a certain key, the gorilla started recording a word. Coco used the synthesizer without any problems. In addition, when she did not know the right word in sign language, she described the object allegorically. For example, she called hard Mexican sweets “cake-stone.”

Hanabiko loved many things besides cats. The color red, tickling, riding a tricycle, jumping while playing, watching picture books. She enjoyed playing with dolls, one of which she designated as Dr. Patterson - they had similar hairstyles. She conducted long monologues with this doll.

Not a phenomenon, but given a chance

Patterson never considered Coco a genius, although she adored her madly. She assured that with proper education, all gorillas are capable of the same manifestations of intelligence. True, it is not known that at least one other gorilla learned the language from Koko, although as an adult she spent a lot of time with other gorillas in the reserve.

And this seems to be true. The second gorilla to learn sign language was a male named Michael. He began studying at the age of three, when he was brought to Austria. Michael's mother and all his adult relatives were killed for meat before his eyes. Michael later told in detail how this happened. When Michael grew up, he was brought to Coco, hoping that she would fall in love with each other. But, despite their sympathy, the gorillas did not feel any attraction to each other. Michael died young of heart disease. Coco mourned him for a long time.

The male gorilla Harambe showed signs of intelligent behavior. A three-year-old child fell into his enclosure, into a moat with water, from a high fence. Harambe pulled the child out of the water. The gorilla walked around the enclosure with the baby, and zoo staff decided that Harambe was going to do something scary to the boy. The young male was shot.

After his death, it turned out that Harambe had been a very sociable and conflict-free young man all his life. He grew up in a man's house (his teacher's name was Jerry Stones). Harambe loved to play with little gorilla children. He was not observed to be aggressive towards people, and the only injuries received by the baby were injuries from a fall. Harambe probably picked up the child who had fallen into the water for the same reasons that any passerby would have picked him up. He began to run away with the baby when the crowd screamed terribly, but along the way he stopped to examine the child and even adjust his clothes.

Moreover, this is not the first time a child has fallen into the gorilla enclosure. In the eighties, on the island of Jersey, a five-year-old boy fell among the gorillas. The main male, Jumbo, immediately stood above him in a defensive position in case of aggression from other gorillas and waited for the rescuers. As soon as help came, he left on his own and took the other gorillas away. Jumbo was later erected a monument for saving the baby. In the nineties, a three-year-old child in Illinois fell among the gorillas. He broke his arm and lost consciousness. The female Binti Jua hurried towards him. She picked up the child and carried him to the door of the pen, where she handed him over to the workers.

Researcher Dian Fossey also noticed that gorillas are aggressive towards people when they see a “stick” in their hand - a gun or a spear. But Africans have always actively hunted gorillas, so the hostility towards people with sticks is understandable. Fossey came to gorilla camps unarmed. In the end she was killed, not by monkeys, but by people, sleeping in her own house. So far, humans are seriously ahead of gorillas in one thing - cruelty.

It’s probably no secret to anyone that for a long time in scientific circles the monkey was considered our closest relative, and the origin of man was traced back to the monkey. Now this scientific theory It is questioned that not all scientists believe that we, the so-called “Homo sapiens,” descended from monkeys. However, scientific debates on this matter are still ongoing, but our article is not about this, but about those amazing creatures, our smaller brothers, who, among all the diverse animal world of planet Earth, are really most similar in structure to us, people.

Monkey: description, structure, characteristics. What does a monkey look like?

Let's start with the fact that the very origin of the name “monkey” is very curious. Until the 16th century, we called the monkey “opitsa”; by the way, the Czechs still call it that way. After the Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin returned from his famous trip to India, he brought into use the Persian name “abuzina,” literally meaning “father of fornication.” Subsequently, the Persian “abuzina” was transformed into “monkey”.

The body length of a monkey, depending on its species, can range from 15 cm (for the pygmy marmoset) to 2 m (for the gorilla). Also, the mass of a monkey can range from 150 grams for the smallest representatives of the species, up to 275 kg - this is how much huge gorillas weigh.

Many monkeys lead an arboreal lifestyle, that is, they mainly live in trees and, as a result, have a long back, a shortened narrow chest, thin hip bones. But orangutans and gibbons have a wide chest and massive pelvic bones.

Some monkeys have a very long tail, the length of which can even exceed the size of the body; the monkey's tail acts as a balancer when moving between trees. But monkeys living on the ground have a very short tail. As for monkeys without a tail, all “humanoid” monkeys do not have it (just as humans do not have it).

The body of monkeys is covered with fur of different colors, depending on the species it can be light brown, red, black and white, gray-olive. Some adult monkeys may turn gray with age, and male monkeys may go bald, again much like humans.

Monkeys have mobile, well-developed upper limbs, very similar to our hands, each with five fingers, and monkeys living in trees have short and large fingers, which allows them to comfortably fly from branch to branch.

Monkeys have binocular vision, many of them have black pupils.

Monkeys' teeth are also similar to humans, narrow-nosed monkeys There are 32 teeth, while broad-nosed animals have 36.

The monkey’s brain is also very well developed; among other representatives of the animal world, only dolphins could compete with monkeys in terms of intelligence. Apes have entire sections of the brain responsible for meaningful actions.

Monkeys communicate with each other using a special signaling system consisting of facial expressions and sounds. The most “chatty” among them are monkeys and capuchins; they have rich facial expressions and are able to express a wide range of feelings.

Where do monkeys live

Monkeys live on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, of course. In Europe they live only in Gibraltar, in southeast Asia, Africa (with the exception of Madagascar), Central and South America, and Australia.

Monkey lifestyle

Monkeys live in small families and, according to their lifestyle, are divided into arboreal monkeys, living in trees, and terrestrial monkeys, living on the ground. Monkeys tend to be sedentary and rarely leave their territory.

Sometimes there are clashes between male monkeys, with the goal of resolving the answer to the question “who is the main male here,” although often such clashes are limited to a demonstration of the strength of each male and do not lead to a real fight.

How long do monkeys live?

On average, the life expectancy of monkeys is 30-40 years. However, great apes live longer; they can live up to 50 years.

What do monkeys eat?

Monkeys are omnivores, and their diet depends on the species and also the habitat. Tree monkeys eat everything that can be obtained from the trees - various fruits, nuts, and sometimes insects.

Land monkeys eat rhizomes and shoots of plants (for example, ferns are a favorite delicacy of the gorilla), fruits (figs, mangoes, and, of course, bananas). Also, some monkeys know how to fish and happily eat mollusks, rodents, grasshoppers, beetles and other small animals.

Although there are species of monkeys that eat only one, specific food, for example, Japanese stump-tailed macaques are pure vegetarians and feed exclusively on tree bark, and the crab-eating macaque, as its name suggests, feeds on crabs.

Monkey Enemies

Unfortunately, the monkeys themselves have many enemies in natural conditions, who is not averse to feasting on these primates. The most sworn enemies Monkeys include leopards, who are also capable of climbing trees quite well, and other predatory animals - lions, cheetahs.

Types of monkeys, photos and names

In general, all types of monkeys can be divided into:

• broad-nosed monkeys - this includes monkeys living on the American continent,
• narrow-nosed monkeys are all other monkeys that live in Africa, Asia, Australia and European Gibraltar.

Regarding different types monkeys, then zoologists separately distinguished species of anthropoid apes, species of small monkeys, etc. In general, there are more than 400 species of these primates in nature, below we will describe the most interesting of them.

It is a member of the spider monkey family. It is so named due to the fact that it produces characteristic sounds that can be heard at a distance of up to 5 km. Male black howler monkeys are covered with black fur and fully justify their name, but female black howler monkeys are not black at all, their fur is yellow-brown or olive in color. The length of this monkey is 56-67 cm, with a weight of 6.7 kg. The black howler monkey lives in South America, in countries such as Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia.

Belonging to the prehensile-tailed family, the capuchin is an arboreal monkey that lives in trees. The weight of a capuchin is 3 kg. It has a brown or gray-brown color. A very curious feature of this species of monkeys is their habit of rubbing themselves with poisonous centipedes () to protect themselves from blood-sucking insects. Mourning capuchins live in the crowns tropical forests Brazil, Venezuela.

It got its unusual name thanks to its gray color with shades of blue and a white stripe of fur that runs over the eyebrows like a crown. The body length of the crowned monkey is 50-60 cm and weighs 5-6 kg. Monkeys live in African forests from the Congo River basin to Ethiopia and Angola.

Belongs to the apes of the gibbon family. It is 55-65 cm in length and weighs 5-6 kg. The coat color of the white-handed gibbon can be black, sand or brown, but its hands are always white, hence the name. These gibbons live in the tropical forests of China and the Malay Archipelago.

Eastern gorilla

Gorilla is the largest ape in the world. The average size of a gorilla is 185 cm with a body weight of 180 kg. Although sometimes you come across larger gorillas, weighing up to 220 kg. These huge monkeys are distinguished by their large heads, broad shoulders, with his chest out. The color of the gorilla's coat is black; in old age, gorillas, like people, can turn gray. Despite their menacing appearance, gorillas prefer to eat grass and plant shoots rather than hunt game. Gorillas live in equatorial forests Central and Western Africa.

He is also a white-headed saki, in our opinion this monkey has the strangest appearance - the black color of his fur contrasts brightly with the white color of his face. The size of pale saki is 30-48 cm and weighs 2 kg. This is an arboreal monkey living in the forests of Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname.

He is also a frog baboon, a species of narrow-nosed monkeys that spend their entire lives exclusively on the ground. It is also a fairly large monkey, the body length of the hamadryas is 70-100 cm, weight 30 kg. It also has an unusual appearance - long hair on the shoulders and chest forms a kind of fur cape. The hamadryas lives in both Africa and Asia in a number of countries, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen.

The proboscis monkey, also known as kahau, belongs to the monkey family. A striking feature of this monkey is its large nose, which the monkeys even have to hold with their hands while eating. It has a yellow-brown color. The size of the proboscis monkey is 66-77 cm and weighs 15-22 kg. Also has long tail, which is equal in size to the length of their body. These live unusual looking monkeys exclusively on the island of Borneo.

Living in the northern part of the Japanese island of Honshu, this monkey is a real business card these places. The size of the Japanese macaque is 80-95 cm, weight 12-14 kg. These monkeys have bright red skin, which is especially noticeable on their face and buttocks, which lack coat. Cold macaques living in northern Japan winter months experience in special thermal springs, warming up in their hot waters (and at the same time attracting crowds of tourists from all over the world).

The Sumatran orangutan is a fairly large monkey, its size reaches one and a half meters and weighs 150-160 kg. In terms of size, the orangutan ranks second after the gorilla. It has well-developed muscles, a massive body covered with red hair, and is an excellent tree climber. The orangutan's face has fat pads located on the cheeks, and the beard and mustache give it a very funny look. The charismatic Sumatran orangutan lives exclusively on the island of Sumatra.

For some reason, monkeys are most associated with chimpanzees, which are the most characteristic representative of the monkey kingdom. Chimpanzees are also relatively large monkeys, their body length is 140-160 cm and their weight is 65-80 kg, that is, they are the same size as humans. The body of a chimpanzee is covered with black fur. It is also very curious that these anthropoid apes are the only ones who thought of creating a kind of tools that facilitate the process of obtaining food, they are able to sharpen the ends of sticks, turning them into imitation spears, they can use stone leaves as traps for insects, etc. Without a doubt, chimpanzees are the most intelligent among monkeys, and if Darwin’s theory is right, then they are the ones who are in the closest family relationship with us humans. Chimpanzees live mainly in Central and Western Africa.

And finally, it was impossible not to mention the pygmy marmoset - the smallest monkey in the world. Its length is only 10-15 cm, weight – 100-150 grams. They live in the forests of South America, feeding exclusively on tree sap.

Reproduction of monkeys in nature

Monkey reproduction occurs throughout the year and each species has its own individual characteristics. Puberty in monkeys usually occurs at 7-8 years. Some species of monkeys are monogamous and create permanent families for life, others, such as capuchins, on the contrary, are polygamous, so female capuchins mate with several males, and the males do the same.

A monkey's pregnancy can last from 6 to 8.5 months, again depending on the species. Usually one baby is born at a time, but there are species of monkeys that can give birth to twins.

Little monkeys, like real primates, are mother-fed breast milk, and the period of feeding also varies among different monkeys. The female gorilla feeds her cubs the longest - this period lasts up to 3.5 years.

Keeping monkeys at home

Despite the fact that monkeys are wild creatures, they are nevertheless very easy to train, get used to captivity, and, under favorable conditions, feel quite comfortable in zoos. True, keeping a monkey at home is not the best idea, they are terrible mischievous and restless, and if you have already decided to have a pet monkey, then you should be prepared for it to create real chaos in your house. To prevent this, the monkey can be kept in a spacious cage.

You can feed the monkey fish, chicken or turkey, boiled eggs, vegetables, nuts, and fresh fruits.

• Some species of monkeys are very clean and take care of their appearance They spend almost the whole day.
• During the development of astronautics, 32 monkeys have already visited space.
• Spider monkeys have such a developed and strong tail that they can easily hang on a tree branch with its help alone.
• A group of American scientists managed to teach a female gorilla a certain number of words from the language of the deaf and dumb, after which she was able to quite successfully communicate with people.

Monkeys, video

And finally interesting documentary about monkeys from the Discovery Channel - “Monkeys on the Warpath”

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The smartest, most developed monkeys are apes. There are 4 types of them: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and pygmy chimpanzees, or bonobos. Chimpanzees and bonobos are very similar to each other, but the other two species are completely different from either chimpanzees or each other. But, nevertheless, all apes have much in common. These monkeys do not have a tail, the structure of the hands is similar to that of a human, the volume of the brain is very large, and its surface is dotted with grooves and convolutions, which indicates the high intelligence of these animals. Apes, like humans, have 4 blood types, and bonobo blood can even be transfused to a person with the corresponding blood type - this indicates their “blood” relationship with humans.

Both chimpanzees and gorillas live in Africa, the continent considered the cradle of humanity, while the orangutan, our most distant relative among the apes, lives in Asia.

SOCIAL LIFE OF CHIMPANZEES

Chimpanzees live in groups of an average of 20 individuals. The group, led by one male leader, includes males and females of all ages. A group of chimpanzees lives in a territory, which the males protect from incursions by neighbors.

In places where there is plenty of food, chimpanzees lead a sedentary lifestyle, but if food is scarce, they wander widely in search of food. It happens that the living space of several groups intersects, then they temporarily unite, and in all disputes the group that has more males and is therefore stronger has an advantage. Chimpanzees do not form permanent married couples, and all adult males can freely choose a girlfriend from among the adult females of both their own and the neighboring group that has joined.

After an 8-month pregnancy, a female chimpanzee gives birth to one completely helpless baby. The mother carries the baby on her stomach for up to a year, then the baby independently moves onto her back. For 9 years, mother and child are almost inseparable. Mothers teach their cubs everything they know, introducing them to the world around them and to other members of the group. Sometimes grown-up babies are sent to a “kindergarten”, where they frolic with their peers under the supervision of several adult females. By the age of 13, chimpanzees become adults, independent members of the group, and young males gradually become involved in the struggle for leadership.

Chimpanzees are quite aggressive animals. Quarrels often occur within the group, escalating into bloody fights, sometimes with fatal results. A wide range of gestures, facial expressions and sounds help monkeys establish relationships with each other, with the help of which they show dissatisfaction or approval. Monkeys express friendly feelings by picking each other's fur.

Chimpanzees get food both on the ground and in the trees, feeling quite confident everywhere. In addition to plant foods, their diet includes insects and small animals. Moreover, hungry monkeys as a whole community can go hunting and get, for example, a gazelle.

SMART HEAD AND SKILLFUL HANDS

Chimpanzees are very smart and know how to use tools, and they specially select the most suitable ones. handy tool and can even improve it. So, in order to climb into an anthill, a chimpanzee takes a twig and tears off all the leaves on it. They use a stick to knock down a tall fruit or hit an opponent during a fight. Getting to the core of the nut, the monkey can place it on a specially selected flat stone, and use another sharp one to break the shell. To get a drink, the chimpanzee uses a large leaf as a scoop or makes a sponge from a chewed leaf, dips it in a stream and squeezes the water into his mouth.

During a hunt, monkeys are able to throw stones at their prey; a hail of stones awaits a predator, such as a leopard, who dares to hunt monkeys. To avoid getting wet when crossing a stream, chimpanzees can make a bridge out of sticks; they use leaves as umbrellas, fly swatters, fans, and even as toilet paper.

MONSTERS OR GOODNESS GIANTS?

It is not difficult to imagine the feelings of a person who sees a gorilla in the wild for the first time - a humanoid giant who scares the alien with menacing screams, beats himself in the chest with his fists, breaks and uproots young trees. Such encounters with forest monsters gave rise to legends about the fiends of hell, whose superhuman strength poses a serious danger to the human race. The emergence of such legends caused the ruthless extermination of gorillas. It is unknown what human fear and ignorance would have led to if scientists had not taken under their protection these huge monkeys, about whom they knew almost nothing at that time.

It turned out that the “monstrous” gorillas are peaceful vegetarians, eating exclusively plant foods; moreover, they are almost not aggressive and use their strength only in defense. To avoid bloodshed, male gorillas try to scare off an opponent - be it another male or a human. That’s when all means of intimidation come into play: screaming, roaring, beating yourself in the chest with your fists and breaking branches.

Gorillas live in small groups, usually 5-10 animals, including 1-2 young males, several females with cubs of different ages, and the head of the group - an older male, who is easily distinguished by the silver-gray hair on his back. By the age of 14, a male gorilla reaches sexual maturity and instead of black fur, a light stripe appears on his back. An adult male is huge: with a height of about 180 cm, he can weigh up to 300 kg. The eldest of the silverback males becomes the head of the family group, and the care of all its members falls on his powerful shoulders. The leader gives signals for waking up in the morning and going to bed in the evening, chooses a path in the forest that the whole group will follow in search of food, and maintains order and peace in the family. He protects his charges from all the dangers that the tropical forest conceals.

The cubs in the group are raised by females - their mothers. But, if suddenly the kids become orphaned, it is the silver-backed patriarch who will take them under his protection, carry them on himself, sleep next to them and watch their games. While protecting the cubs, the leader can enter into a duel with a leopard and even with armed poachers.

Often the capture of a baby gorilla costs not only the life of its mother, but also the life of the leader of the group. Having lost their leader and deprived of protection and care, helpless females and young animals may well die if some single male does not take care of the orphaned family.

JUST LIKE PEOPLE

The life routine of gorillas is very similar to that of humans. At sunrise, at a signal from the leader, the entire group wakes up and begins to search for food. After lunch, the family rests, digesting what they have eaten. Young males sleep at a distance, females with cubs are closer to the leader, juveniles frolic next to them - each has its own place. At night, gorillas build nest-beds from branches and leaves. Nests are usually located on the ground. Only light young animals can afford to climb low into a tree and make a bed there.

Cubs enjoy special love in the family. The kids spend most of their time with their mother, but the whole group participates in their upbringing, and adults are patient with the pranks of young people. Gorillas grow up slowly, only twice as fast as human children. Newborns are completely helpless and need maternal care; only by 4-5 months can they move on four legs, and by eight months they can walk upright. Then they grow up faster; surrounded by relatives, young gorillas quickly learn everything. At the age of 7, females become fully grown, males mature by 10-12 years, and at 14 years their back becomes silver. The silverback male often leaves the group and lives alone for a long time until he manages to create a new family.

THE MAIN ENEMY IS MAN

Huge and strong gorillas have few enemies in nature. Even the largest predator of African forests, the leopard, rarely dares to attack a gorilla. But, like all animals, forest giants are powerless against the traps, snares and guns of poachers who obtain cubs for livestock traders, skulls and hands of adult males for lovers of exotic souvenirs and meat for gourmets and fans of African cooking. And although the strictest measures are being taken to protect these rare animals, gorillas continue to be killed, because sometimes poaching is the only form of income available to the local population.

"THE FOREST PEOPLE"

"Orangutan" - translated from Malay - means "forest man". This is the name of the great apes that live in the jungles of the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Orangutans - amazing creatures and differ in many ways from other great apes. Firstly, orangutans lead an arboreal lifestyle and, despite their significant weight (70-100 kg), they climb trees well at a height of up to 20 m and do not like to go down to the ground. It is clear that such heavy animals cannot jump from branch to branch, but they are able to climb confidently and quickly. Orangutans feed almost all day long, eating fruits and leaves, as well as bird eggs and chicks. In the evening, orangutans build nests, each their own, and settle there for the night. They sleep holding a branch with one paw so as not to fall in their sleep. Every night these monkeys settle down in a new place and build a new bed for themselves. Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans rarely form groups, preferring to live alone or in pairs (female - male, mother - cubs), but sometimes a pair of adult animals and several cubs of different ages form a family group.

A female orangutan gives birth to one baby, which the mother takes care of for almost 7 years until it becomes an adult. Until the age of 3, a small orangutan feeds almost exclusively on its mother’s milk, and only then does its mother begin to introduce it to solid food. Chewing the leaves, she makes vegetable puree for her child. Preparing the baby for adulthood, the mother teaches him to climb trees and build nests. Baby orangutans are very affectionate and playful, and they perceive the entire learning process as an entertaining game. Orangutans are very smart; in captivity they learn to use tools and even make them themselves. But in nature, these monkeys rarely use their abilities: the constant search for food does not leave them time to develop natural intelligence.

When asked what species of monkeys belong to the group of anthropoids, many people answer without hesitation: “chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan.” Those who are more knowledgeable in zoology also call the gibbon. But few people know about the existence of our much closer relative, the bonobo, or pygmy chimpanzee. And this despite the fact that the set of bonobo genes coincides with the set of human genes by 98%!

Orangutans and gorillas are able to determine by the image of an animal whether it belongs to a certain class: they distinguish between mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and fish.

Orangutans and bonobos are capable of planning their actions. Both types of monkeys stored the necessary tools to obtain one or another reward in the future. Analyzing a series of carefully designed experiments, researchers have concluded that the ability to foresee the future is not a uniquely human trait. This trait is most likely embedded in the mental patterns of animals.

Alexander Markov

Primates have evolved many new genes (mostly by duplicating old ones), but very little is known about the functions of these genes or the details of their evolutionary history. One of these genes, CDC14Bretro, appeared in the common ancestor of great apes as a result of the activity of retrotransposons. Later, in the common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees and humans, the gene underwent rapid changes under the influence of selection, changing its “profession” and “place of work”.

Alexander Markov

The results of a study of the oldest and most complete skeleton of a baby Australopithecus afarensis have been published. The skeleton was discovered in December 2000 in Eastern Ethiopia, in roughly the same area where the famous Lucy was found in 1974, and belongs to a three-year-old girl who lived 3.3 million years ago. Apparently, the girl died during the flood and was immediately covered with sand, which ensured exceptional preservation of the bones. Studying unique find confirmed that Australopithecus afarensis were bipedal creatures with an almost human lower body, retaining many ape-like features in the structure of the arms and skull.

Of all the arguments that prove that humans are fundamentally different from animals, the most compelling concerns the ability of humans to understand the minds of others. Only people can not only perceive their own experiences, but also realize that the thoughts and views of other people are different from their own. However, the results of a recent study published in Science suggest that monkeys are endowed with the same ability.

Coco the western lowland gorilla was born on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. At the age of one year, animal psychologist Francine Patterson began working with Koko and began teaching her sign language. At the age of 19, the gorilla successfully passed the “mirror test,” which determines the ability of animals to recognize themselves in a mirror (most gorillas and other animals are incapable of this). Patterson admitted that at the beginning of her training she also believed that the gorilla unconsciously performed actions in order to receive a reward, but rethought this after Koko began to come up with ideas own words. The ring became a “finger bracelet,” and the mask was called the “eye cap.” Coco was one of the few known animals who had pets - kittens, which she herself chose the name of.

The formation of vocalizations (that is, sounds made) in newborn marmosets depends on whether they receive feedback from their parents. At first glance, this result, of course, does not look like a sensational discovery. However, it is very important because it contradicts traditional ideas that sound signals in primates are strictly innate and do not depend in any way on experience and social environment. We decided to figure out what the new results mean for understanding the nature of language, what scientists currently think about its origins, and why it is so difficult to teach monkeys to speak.

Researchers have unearthed ancient hammer stones in Ivory Coast. Based on some features, scientists have determined that these tools were used by chimpanzees. And if the archaeologists' conclusions are correct, we have before us the earliest known example of such behavior of monkeys.

For the first time, scientists have documented wild gorillas using simple tools (sticks) to measure the depth of a swamp.