Types of Monkeys – Many types of animals live and spread on the earth. One of the animals that we may really familiar with them is the monkey. Well, do you know that the monkey itself has many variants? Besides, some kinds of animals are also considered having such closeness with it.
They have their own uniqueness and characteristics that the others may not have. In this page anyway, you will learn about the types of monkey from all around the world. Sure, it can just improve your insights more regarding the world of animals.
There are hundred types of monkeys in the world. But there are some of them that are considered unique and popular. Here are 35 of them that you should know.
Mandrill is known as the biggest species of monkey in the world with the weight up to 34 kg for the adult male. They live in a big group also with around 1,300 monkeys in one group. The relationship among the members of the group is really close. They spend their time to play, chat and even treat each other. The appetite for mandrill is really high. They eat anything that can be found in their environment.
2. Cotton-Top Tamarin
Cotton-Top Tamarin is one of the smallest primates with the weight less than a half of kilogram. The primary characteristic is the white hair which is long and falling down to the shoulder. For the body, the hair is brown and quite short. The habitats of this animal are in the tropical forests, the northwest areas of Colombia and Brazil. The population is getting smaller currently even only around 6,000. That’s why; cotton-top tamarin is also considered one of the endangered species.
3. White-Headed Capuchin
This type of monkeys should be familiar enough for its appearance in the movie starred by Ben Stiller, Night at the Museum. Yes, white-headed capuchin, in real life, is indeed really funny and nosy. Besides, the intelligence level is also quite high so that this animal is quite easy to be trained. The groups of white-headed capuchin live naturally in the areas of mangrove forestry. They use the vocal cords to communicate with their friends. This ability helps them to survive from the predators.
4. Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey has a primary characteristic that makes it different from the fellow monkeys. It has a long nose which is even up to 18 cm. Based on some research, the longer the nose it has, the easier for a male proboscis monkey to attract the female. The long nose also causes this monkey to make a sound louder than the others. It is good at swimming and it is possible for a group of proboscis monkey to cross the sea from one island to another. Their main habitat is the Kalimantan forestry, Indonesia.
5. Barbary Macaque
If most of the monkeys are originally coming from Asia, Barbary Macaque is the native of Gibraltar area. Being classified in the old world monkey category, it can be found in the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. Besides, this animal is very unique for its paternal habits. It is that the males have the role to take care of the babies. This species is an omnivore that likes eating plants and insects. The lifespan of the male Barbary Macaque is up to 25 years old. Meanwhile, the females can even be more than that.
6. Rhesus Macaque
Rhesus macaque is the native animals of Southern Chinese areas. So, you can just find them also in some countries around including Vietnam, Thailand, and Northern India. The population of this species is really big. It makes them a kind of primates with the biggest geographical areas after the human. This monkey is good at swimming and they use this ability to migrate. The primary foods are the insects, leaves, and roots. Then, they commonly keep the foods on the cheek pockets before swallowing them.
7. Lion-Tailed Macaque
Lion-tailed macaque or Wanderoo is one of the endemics classified into the old world monkeys. The native habitats are spreading in some countries including Ghana and South India. The appearance is not so much different from other monkeys. But there are some characteristics including the white and long hair covering the head. Meanwhile, the body is black and there is a small black spot right on the forehead.
8. Japanese Macaque
Just like the name, this species is one of the Japanese native animals. They are good swimmers as they can pass through the water of a half kilometer without stopping. The main characteristics are the white hair all over their body and the pink face. For such an appearance, they are also called the snow monkeys.
Uniquely, they live indeed in the snowy areas mainly in the mountains with hot springs. They can survive in the low temperature up to -4 degree of Celsius. They eat anything around including the insect, roots, fruits, fishes, and even the soil. Uniquely, they have a habit of washing the foods before eating them.
9. Vervet Monkey
Vervet Monkey is widely found in the African land particularly in Somalia and Ethiopia. This animal can adapt faster to the new environment. But the best habitats of them are in the savannah, forest, mountain, and along the river. Just like many other types of monkey, they live in groups with around 40 monkeys in each group. Vervet monkey is classified into the omnivores as they eat insects, chicks, eggs, leaves, and flowers. Besides, although they spend their time mostly on the trees, they sometimes climb down to the ground to look for the foods.
10. Golden Snub-nose Monkey
The golden snub-nose monkey is one of the old world monkeys under the subfamily of Colobinae. It is endemics of the temperate climate areas and the mountainous forestry of Central China. Their foods are significantly changed based on the seasons. But primarily, they are the herbivores that love eating lichens. As an arboreal, this species spend their time mostly on the tree branches. Nowadays, the population is only around 15,000 and it has been warned to be endangered.
Lesula is a new species found in the areas of Africa. The animal was discovered in 2007 when the headmaster of an elementary school in Congo caught it in 2007. The facial complexion is quite similar to the owl. Meanwhile, the main characteristics of lesula are the blue butts. The big family of lesula is then seen in an isolated forest in Congo. Similar to many types of monkeys, this primate is an omnivore but they most of the time, they eat the leaves, peels, and fruits.
12. Hamadryads Baboon
Hamadryad’s baboon is a species of baboon from the family of the old world monkey. This animal is one of the natives of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This animal is really famous in those areas. It was even considered sacred for the ancient Egyptian society. That’s why; people there often call it the sacred baboon even nowadays. The physical appearances are different between males and females. The males are silvery white haired with the body of twice higher than the females. Meanwhile, the females’ hair is brown and much shorter than the males.
13. Pygmy Marmoset
With the size of only around the adult human’s palm and the weight of 1 kg, Pygmy marmoset is claimed as the smallest monkey species in the world. This animal likes gathering in a small group of not more than 10. They spend their time together starting from eating and even chatting. When a member of the group has died, the others look extremely sad. Besides, they may fight with the other groups when one member is harmed or bullied. Nowadays, pygmy marmoset is quite popular as a pet although the price is quite expensive.
14. Emperor Tamarin
The monkey is named Emperor for the facial complexion which is quite close to one of the Germany Emperors, Wilhelm II. Emperor Tamarin is the native animals of northern Bolivia, eastern Peru, and western Amazon Basin. The main characteristic is the white long mustache. The length of this animal is around 23-26 cm with the height of 500 gr. This monkey eats flowers and fruits mostly while they also sometimes consume small frogs and insects.
15. Equatorial Saki
This animal is in the category of the new world monkey. The main characteristics are the thick hair with the dark color. Equatorial Saki spreads in the areas of Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. That’s why; local people commonly call it Rio Tapajos Saki. Just like the other monkeys in Saki types, this one spends most of their time on the trees. Their legs are really strong to hop from one tree to another. Around 905 of their foods are the raw fruits and seeds. So, they are included in the Frugivore classification.
16. Brown Howler
Brown howler is one of the new world monkeys with the habitats of some parts of Brazilian and Argentinean forests. It lives in small groups which are less than 11 each. The term of brown howler it is actually a general name for 2 subspecies; they are the northern brown howled and southern brown howler. The northern one is critically endangered so that the subspecies is placed in the quarantine. The brown howler monkeys are herbivores, particularly they are known as folivores and frugivores. It means that they mostly eat the leaves with a high proportion of cellulose and raw plant materials like raw fruits and seeds.
17. Guinea Baboon
The Guinea baboon is the only baboon from the genus Papio after the hamadryad’s baboon that still exists nowadays. It is classified in the old world monkey family. The main habitat is in the small area in the western Africa, ranged from Guinea, Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania to Mali. The main characteristics are the reddish-brown hair. Meanwhile, the face is hairless and it features a long tail. Baboons are the omnivores including this one. Their favorite foods are fruits, roots, grasses, buds, seeds, leaves, nuts, insects, and other small animals.
18. Bald Uakari
Bald Uakari is one of the endangered monkey species with the significant decrease of around 30% in the last 30 years. Just like the name, there is indeed no hair on its head. Meanwhile, the other characteristics are the red face and relatively short height for the new world monkey. The habitats are around the basin of Amazon river in Peru and Brazil. During the rainy season, they prefer living on the trees for the flood. Bald Uakari is considered an adventurous animal with the ability to walk up to 4.8 km per day.
19. Venezuelan Red Howler
Venezuelan Red Howler is the native animal of Venezuelan forest areas. It spreads into some countries around including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, and more. The body of this red howler tends to be sturdy and firm when they stand up with its two legs. The tail is also very strong to grab the branches. It makes them easier to hop and swing on the trees. They sleep up to 15 hours and their sound is very loud. That’s why; they are claimed as the loudest primate in the world. Venezuelan red howler eats seeds, nuts, fruits, and flowers. In the mating season, females are more active; they attract the males by sticking the tongue out.
20. Silvery Lutung
Silvery lutung is one of the old world monkeys and the endemics of Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia as well as the area of the Malayan peninsula. It is a kind of old world monkey and classified into arboreal. This monkey has a medium-sized body covered by the silvery dark fur. Meanwhile, there are some of them found in the grey or black fur. The animal is herbivore with the high ability of the digestive system to process the cellulose. That’s why; its main foods are the plant materials like leaves, flowers, buds, peels, and the likes.
21. Golden Lion Tamarin
This monkey is well-known for its golden orange hair as well the hair is quite long and bushy covering the edge of its face. Slightly, it looks like the lion so that it was named that way. Golden Lion Tamarin is a small primate with the length of only up to 35 cm. It features a long tail of around 40 cm. The monkey comes from Brazilian forests and the population is only around 1,000 currently. They move from one house to another. Uniquely, they almost never go down to the ground.
22. Celebes Crested Macaque
This monkey originally comes from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Well, this island is previously called Celebes which is later being the name of this animal. The main characteristics of Celebes Crested macaque are the dark short hair and the short tail with the length of around 2 cm. The adult males are medium with the height of around 44 cm. In the world of macaques, its body complexion is really small, anyway. The lifespan is up to 20 years old in the wildlife. They eat the foods around them starting from the plant materials to the small insects. So, they are classified into omnivores.
23. Black-headed Spider Monkey
The animal is called the spider monkey for the hands, legs, and even tails that are long. It helps them a lot in hopping from one branch of the tree to another. The black-headed spider monkey also spends its time mostly on the trees so that they are also known as arboreal. The habitats are in the tropical jungles, the southern areas of the American continent. This black-headed monkey lives in groups with around 20-40 monkeys in each group. If you meet them, you must be careful since the monkey is very aggressive particularly if they feel threatened. They eat the nuts, leaves, seeds, insects, and eggs. They communicate with each other by making a loud scream.
The drill is a primate from the family of Cercopithecidae or the old world monkey. It has such closeness to baboon and mandrill. This animal is only found in the river areas of Nigeria and southwest Cameroon. A small population of it stays also in Bioko Island, a part of Equator Guinea with the habitat of the tropical rainforest. Drill has a medium body size with the thick but short dark fur all over its body except the face. Although it can stand up firmly, it walks by crawling. The main foods are plant materials and small animals like insects.
25. Red-shanked Douc
The red-shank douc is known as one of the most colorful primates in the world. Although the appearance is similar to its family, the black-shanked douc, it looks more attractive with the red fur on the areas of legs and around the face. It is one of the old world monkeys with a height of approximately 61 cm. The male is bigger and heavier than the female. The habitats of this primate are in the area of Southeast Asia particularly in some countries like Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Just like the other monkeys, the red-shanked douc is a social animal that lives in groups. It eats the plant materials like young leaves, buds, seeds, and bamboo shoots.
26. Chacma Baboon
Chacma baboon is one of the largest monkeys coming from the family of the old world monkey. It also has complex behaviors like the collective foraging, hierarchy system, to the baby adoption. Meanwhile, compared to the other monkey species, the habitats tend to be more varied also including the savanna, steppes, dessert, sub dessert, slopes, woodland, and more. Chacma baboon is found mostly in the areas of Southern Africa from South Africa to the northern countries like Angola, Mozambique, and others. This primate is a kind of omnivores but it prefers fruits to insects and the other tiny animals.
27. Blue Monkey
It is namely the blue monkey indeed. But this primate does not really have the blue fur or body. The domination of its fur is even dark grey with a little gradation of brown on the particular part. The habitat of this animal is the pine and bamboo forests. They spend their time mostly on trees and rarely climb down to the ground. The animal is classified into the family of old world monkey. It is also the native animal to the Africa continent particularly in the central and east parts. They are herbivores with some favorite foods including the fig fruit, twigs, peels, leaves, and flowers.
28. Golden Monkey
After the blue monkey, there is also a species known as the golden monkey living in the Africa continent. It is included in the family of the old world monkey and the groups are widely found in the Virunga Volcanic Mountains. This area is then used as the national conservative park for some animals including this type of monkey. Previously, it was claimed as the subspecies of the blue monkey. But later, the scientists decided to separate them for the special complexion of this species. Well, it features the golden big spots on the back. The behavior of this animal is not much different from the other monkeys, so does the eating habit. It eats bamboo peels, leaves, fruits, and insects.
29. Olive Baboon
Olive baboon is one of the most popular baboons for its wide ranges. It is found in most parts of Africa starting from Mali to Ethiopia. Besides, it lives well in various areas including the mountain slopes, desert, savannah, steppes, forests, and more. The naming itself is due to the hair which is from the distance, it looks like that the baboon is in the shades of green color. However, if you see them closer, it is known that the fur is actually in the light grey. Meanwhile, it has a medium size and they socially live in groups. They communicate in various sounds and eat plants materials as well as the small insects.
30. Mantled Howler
The term “Mantled” here is due to the protective hair on the sides of its body that is really similar to the mantle. This primate is considered the biggest monkey in Central America. The weight is up to 10 kg for the adults. Mantled howler also lives in big groups consisting around 40 each. They yell and scream to call and communicate with each other. The other ability is to live in a narrow area. This way, mantled howler can survive and adapt well when there are troubles like the deforestation. (31 – 35 ON PRCS)