Monkey Habitat: Where Monkeys Live

Monkeys belong to the parvorders Platyrrhini and catarrhines. This makes the paraphyletic mammal, with no consistency of a distinct group.

Monkeys in size from about 160 millimeters (Pygmy Marmoset), nearly one meter (Mandrill). While some species of monkeys are arboreal or

show a preference for homes with trees, others are observed in places as far away as Savannah. The diet consists of monkeys

fruits, berries, leaves, seeds, nuts, eggs, flowers and other small animals and insects. The species is characterized by prehensile tails and

trichromatic color vision.

Image via Wikipedia

Monkey habitat is found throughout Asia, Africa and Central America and South America. The species is rarely seen in the wild in Australia, America or

Antarctica. Mammals show a marked preference for forest tropical. Some are also found in mountainous areas, plains

and grasslands. Depending on the terrain of its natural habitat, the monkeys live in trees or soil. In the ecology of the rainforest, the species play

a pivotal role in seed dispersal. Most monkeys avoid wetlands, but are good swimmers. New World Monkeys live mostly Central and

South America, while their Old World counterparts are common on the lands of Asia and Africa.

Most of the monkeys who spend their lives in the trees have a prehensile tail that acts as an additional member, as seen in the case of

the spider, howler monkeys and owl. Saki monkeys who inhabit the mountainous terrain of the South, have a rough coat, an adaptation that allows the mammal to

stay dry during periods of frequent rains in the region. The Amazon forest is a perfect monkey habitat. Because of its high humidity and

hot climate, woolly monkeys that inhabit the region and along the Amazon basin and the mountain ranges of Peru, living high in the

canopy trees. The Asian and African Old World monkeys have the most varied habitats. They are both arboreal and terrestrial. Humans

are the greatest threat to the species. Encroachment on forest fringes, indiscriminate logging and hunting of mammals for meat are taking a

toll on the habitat of monkeys and existing number.

Monkey Trivia: howler monkeys howling at dawn and dusk, daily. Its roar can be heard up to three miles from his home! It is recognized

as the strongest animal in the world. ; The monkeys can not survive more than forty years in captivity. ; These primates can weigh four ounces to more than one

hundred pounds. ; Monkeys are confirmed carriers of the viruses that trigger an attack of tuberculosis, hepatitis and simian herpes B, the squirrel monkey

South America reached a total length of only ten centimeters! ; The baboon is the largest remaining monkeys, while the owl monkey is

parent only at night. ; Different sub-species of apes have been domesticated for use as pets, the model of laboratory specimens, and

even on space missions. Albert II, was the first monkey in space, aboard the V-2 rocket launched in 1949. In many countries, these primates are trained

to serve as service animals for the disabled. These maneuvers are trained capuchin monkeys to assist quadriplegics and people with mobility

reduced. Macaques and African green monkeys are widely used in animal testing facilities because of their physical resemblance and psychological man.