A Barrel Of Monkeys

Asia

The Cutest Primates

Francois Langurs are covered by black fur all over their bodies except for white stripes that stretch from the mouth to the eyes. On top of their heads, they have a triangular peak and a white crest that looks like an eyebrow above the eyes.

These are Old World monkeys that make their home in Asia and Africa. Their chosen habitats are the limestone cliffs and caves of tropical and subtropical zones. They are very agile and when up in trees can easily jump from tree to tree.

These primates also have a white tip at the end of their tails. The tail is long and can even be as much as 35.4m in length. Males tend to be larger than females. They live in groups of 4 to 27 and the females are the ones that lead the group. When it comes to babies males and females share parenting responsibilities,

The Francois langurs are herbivores and their diet mainly consists of leaves that are supplemented with bark, fruit, shoots, and flowers, The food gives them short spurts of energy and then they rest until they have to eat again.

Golden Snubbed Nosed Monkeys

These are species of monkeys that make their home in China. They are very rarely seen outside of their home country. The Chinese government doesn't allow these monkeys to be displayed in foreign zoos.

Golden snubbed nosed monkeys have blue faces and the snubbed noses make them look exotic. The loss of their noses is thought to be an adaptation to prevent frostbite since they are known to live in the coldest environments. New laws have made the killing of these monkeys a crime.

These monkeys live in the region of China's Tibetan Plateau and they make their home in mountain forests enduring the coldest temperatures of any nonhuman primate anywhere in the world. Golden snubbed nose monkeys have a thick fur coat that is bright golden particularly on the head and neck.

Their diet includes flowers, fruit, buds, and leaves when available in the warmer months from April to November. Pine needles and bark can be found and eaten all year-round. These monkeys roam around once in the morning and once in the afternoon, They take naps at noon and participate in grooming, social bonding, and play. During the nighttime, they huddle together in clusters to help conserve heat during the cold weather.

Funny Faced Red-shanked douc langurs

Red-shanked douc langurs have amazing looking faces with deep black eyes, a white mouth, and an orange face. They look like their faces have been painted. These monkeys are one of three species of douc langur that are all known for thier unusual coloring.

They live all over southeast Asia and are very social monkeys gathering in groups of up to fifty. They spend most of their days looking for food high up in trees. Unfortunately. human deforestatiion is destroying much of their habitat and they are considered endangered.

These primates have been named "Queen of Primates" becauise of their appearance. The Red-shanked dour langurs enjoy eating young, tender leaves but also eat shoots, buds, seeds, flowers and unripened fruits. Eating and living in trees they are considered to be messy eaters since they constantly drop food down to the forest floor. If you hear a burp do look up.

They communicate by touch, visual signals and vocalizations. Among the groups grooming is an important task. They have close bonds between them.

South America

Bright-Red Faced Monkeys

The Bald uakari monkeys are unusual in that they have bright red faces. They make their home deep in the Amazon rainforest. It is a place that is known for its harsh climate and various deadly diseases. The color fo their faces might be a sign that these monkeys are healthy since if they were stricken by malaria they would have pale faces.

They have short tails and move freely in trees using their arms and legs.Uakaris live in troops of up to a hundred individuals and spend a good deal of their time searching for food. They are rather social animals and when looking for food divide up into groups of up to ten individuals. At night they sleep high up in the rainforest canopy.

Unfortunately their numbers are threatened by human activity and relatively low reproduction rates. This is mainly because female uakaris give birth to just a single infant every two years. These monkeys might be heading for the endangered species list. For now they are in the rainforest and they do look interesting with their red faces.

Emperor Tamarin Monkeys

If you want to see a really cute monkey it has to be the Emperor Tamarine. These monkeys are known as mustachioed weirdos because they have amazing handlebar mustaches. They make their home in South America in the lush Amazon rainforest.

They are no bigger than squirrels and covered in silver fur. The Emperor Tamarin society is ruled by the females and their groups are led by the most mature females. The females of the group have a much greater range of vision and can distinguish colors better than the males. They give birth to twins who can live up to 15 years.

These monkeys love to eat a variety of plant-based foods, small insects, and invertebrates. Their favorite foods include flowers, nectar, fruits, and gums. They have hook-like claws with which they gouge tree trunks looking for gums. They live in groups of 4 to 15 individuals. Emperor Tamarins travel between the top of the rain forest canopy and the forest floor which helps them to cover larger swaths of forest despite their small size.

Africa

Meet The Gelada Monkeys

Gelada monkeys are also referred to a Gelada baboons and are said to have bleeding hearts since they have an unusual, bald patch of red skin in the center of their chests. In this group of monkeys the toughest males have the brightest chest so this makes the marking sort of like a status symbol.

Geladas make their home high up in the mountians in Ethiopia. They live in hilly grasslands spending their days grazing on the grass and roots. These monkeys are the only living species of primates that get most of their nutrition from grass.

They travel in some of the largest groups of the primate world with up to 1,200 geladas getting together to graze on the grass and to do some socializing. With so many of them I would say these monkeys have salad eating parties.

Baboons In The Himalayas

Himalayan baboons live in the arid climates of Arabia and the Horn of Africa. They gather around water sources and sleep at night on cliff side ledges. At one time these baboons were looked upon a being sacred by ancient Egyptians but are no longer found in Egypt.

Today Himalayan baboons are still referred to as "sacred". The male baboons have silver manes that make them look like mystic gods. When they congregate together they do so in groups of several hundred baboons. They are known to be highly social among their own groups. At present they are not at risk of becoming extinct.

Female baboons have brown fur and hairless faces and the males are more colorful with the silvery fur that grows like a mane around their heads and on their shoulders. They are omnivores and in Africa rely on the acacia trees for their roots, seeds, leaves, flowers, and pods. Those living in Arabia eat cactus fruit and palm nuts. They are active during the daytime foraging for food.

Biggest Monkeys In The World

The biggest monkeys in the world are mandrills and also the most colorful. Their faces are a mix of different colors however, their hind quarters are best known for the distincitive colors and when mandrills get excited the colors on their bodies become even brighter.

Mandrills make their home in the rainforests of Africa. They spend their days roaming about and at night climb into trees to sleep. These monkeys are omnivors that eat fruit, small amphibians, and reptiles. They live in troops that are led by an alpha male and can include more than a dozen females and their young. Being social mandrills might form large social gatherings that can include more than 200 individuals. Perhaps they shout "Let's party!"