Monkeys

• Monkeys are very clever and rather unique animals. There are 150 kinds of different monkeys. They are divided into two groups: narrow-nosed monkey, which live in Africa and South Asia, and broad-nosed monkeys, which live in Central and South America. They can be of different size: from 15 sm to 2 m high. Some of them have long tails, which help them jump from tree to tree, others have no tail at all. Monkeys usually live in large family groups where the oldest male leads the family.

• Marmosets are among the most graceful monkeys. There are about 20 kinds of them on the Earth. They are only 32-87 sm high and can be of black, red, white and green colour. Males are usually bigger than females and a little brighter in colour. The monkeys eat fruit, leaves and insects. There can be nearly 200 monkeys in one family lead by the oldest male. A female can have one or two babies at a time.

• Orangutans are rather big animals. A male is 130-140 sm high, a female is a little bit lower, only 110-120 sm. The monkeys are of bright red colour, that gets darker with the age of animals. They spend almost all their lives on trees and seldom get down. They even make a special nest to sleep in. orangutans eat fruit, leaves, and bird-eggs. They also drink water from rivers and lakes. A female usually has one baby at a time. The baby stays with the mother for 3-4 years. A female teaches her baby everything she could.

• Gorillas are the biggest monkeys among man-like apes. The monkeys are nearly 2 meters high. Females are smaller than males. They both are of black colour. Gorillas live in the forests and in the mountains. They live in groups of about 30 monkeys in each. There are some males in a family, but the leader is always the oldest one. His main task is to protect his family.

• Gorillas eat leaves from the trees, fruit of different plants and sometimes grass. They like to eat and spend much time eating. They also like to sleep, that is why they sleep both at night and at day time. The monkeys like the sun and warm themselves with great pleasure. A female has one baby at a time once in 3-5 years. The children stay with their mothers for 3 years and feed on the mother’s milk.

• Chimpanzee is a man- like monkey that lives in the forests of tropical zone. It is the closest relative to the man. There are two kinds of chimpanzee: original and dwarf. They can be 1,5 meters high and have long arms and black hair. The monkeys live in groups of 20-25 members. They eat fruit, leaves, nuts, fresh branches and the bark of some trees and seeds. They like to eat ants and termites.

• Young monkeys at the age of 3-8 usually spend their time playing. A female is considered to be grown-up at the age of 6-7, males – at the age of 7-8.chimpanzee live 35-40 years, sometimes they can live until 60. a female has only one baby at a time. The mother feeds her baby 1-2 years with milk and then teaches it to find food in nature.

• One of the most unique monkeys of the world is the Japanese macaque. It is a little bigger than an ordinary macaque, but its body is covered with warm and thick hair. Only the face, feet and hands of an animal are without hair. The Japanese macaque can live high in the mountains and in the regions, where it snows in winter. They can easily stand the frost and the storm. They usually live in small families, where a male is the head.

• A baboon is not a very big monkey. Its size is 75 sm. It is of yellowish grey colour, that is why it is sometimes called yellow baboon. They live in big families mostly in the trees. They eat lives, fruit and insects. Females are very devoted mothers and take good care about there babies for more than 3 years.