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Introduction to MonkeysWe care for five species of monkey here at the Isle of Wight Zoo. These species are not currently classified as endangered and are therefore not involved in breeding programmes. These animals are always a favourite with visitors and amuse us all with their energy and enthusiasm for life. These monkeys belong to the primate group of anthropoid (human-like) primates. They can be easily distinguished from our primitive lemurs by their flatter faces. Like humans, these monkeys rely more on sight than smell and all have stereoscopic (3-dimensional) colour vision. They have better developed hands which can manipulate food and other objects so they do not need a toilet claw or dental comb for grooming like lemurs do. Monkeys are highly intelligent and very capable of learning because they have big brains. This makes them challenging animals to care for, they need to be continually stimulated in order to meet their psychological needs. When these intelligent monkeys first evolved in Africa they were so successful at raising their young and adapting to changes in the environment that they colonised the world. The primitive prosimians could not compete with them and slowly disappeared in most areas. Monkeys colonised Africa and Asia first and we call these species Catarrhine or Old World monkeys. They can be identified by their narrow nostrils which point downward. The tailless great apes such as chimpanzees, orang-utans, gibbons and even humans evolved from these Old World monkeys. In South and Central America the Platyrrhine or New World monkeys evolved. These monkeys have round nostrils on the sides of their noses. The New World monkeys are also the only monkeys with fully prehensile (gripping) tails although this ability is sometimes lost in adults. This is a very important adaptation for climbing and feeding in the forest canopy. Monkey Species at the Zoo: Vervet Monkey Brown Capuchin Monkey Black Spider Monkey Black-Faced Black Spider Monkey |
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