Monkey Info
Monkey, generally, any one of the higher primates other than humans. More specifically, the term monkey is restricted to the species that belong to either the American monkey family, the marmoset family, or the Eurasian monkey family.
The American monkeys are characterized by 36 teeth and a broad septum between the nostrils relative to Eurasian monkeys. The tail is often prehensile. All monkeys in this family are arboreal and feed primarily on leaves, fruits, and insects. Marmosets have 32 teeth and never have a prehensile tail. Marmosets are the smallest of all monkeys and are more primitive than the American monkeys. Their fingers end in claws instead of nails, with the exception of the big toe. Their scent-marking behavior is like that of the lemur, as is the lack of a strong bond between the female and her young.
Eurasian monkeys are characterized by 32 teeth and by a narrow septum between the nostrils relative to American monkeys. They have a nonprehensile tail, if present. Naked callous patches are on the buttocks. These animals are not exclusively arboreal, and some—such as the baboon—spend most of their life on the ground.
All monkeys have eyes set at the front of the head, giving them binocular vision and the ability to judge distance and depth. Their well-developed color vision also increases their ability to pick out detail through the leaves of trees.
Scientific classification: American monkeys make up the family Cebidae, marmosets the family Callitrichidae, and Eurasian monkeys the family Cercopithecidae.
Monkey, Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.