MONKEY
Monkey is a
common name that may refer to groups or species of mammals, in part, the
simians of infraorder Simiiformes. The term is applied descriptively to groups
of primates, such as families of New World monkeys and Old World monkeys.
About
4,000-5,000 Rhesus Macaque monkeys are estimated to colonize areas around
various government buildings, including the presidential palace, frightening
both the civil servants and the public in New Delhi. The increasing population
of the primates in India causes fatal clashes with humans.
A monkey is
any primate that is not a human, prosimian (lemurs, sifakas, lorises, pottos,
bush babies, and other primitive primates), or ape. Monkeys make up two of the
three groups of simian primates, Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. The
other group is the apes.
Many monkey
species are tree-dwelling (arboreal), although there are species that live
primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Most species are also active during
the day (diurnal). Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent,
especially the Old World monkeys of Catarrhini.
Simians and
tarsiers emerged within haplorrhines some 60 million years ago. New World
monkeys and catarrhine monkeys emerged within the simians some 35 million years
ago. Old World monkeys and Hominoid emerged within the catarrhine monkeys some
25 million years ago. Extinct basal simians such as Aegyptopithecus or
Parapithecus [35-32 million years ago], eosimiidea and sometimes even the
Catarrhini group are also considered monkeys by primatologists.
Lemurs,
lorises, and galagos are not monkeys; instead they are strepsirrhine primates.
Like monkeys, tarsiers are haplorrhines primates; however, they are also not
monkeys.
Apes
emerged within "monkeys" as sister of the Cercopithecidae in the
Catarrhini, so cladistically they are monkeys as well. There has been
resistance to directly designate apes (and thus humans) as monkeys, so
"Old World monkey" may be taken to mean the Cercopithecidae or the
Catarrhini. That apes are monkeys was already realized by Georges-Louis
Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in the 18th century.
Monkeys,
including apes, can be distinguished from other primates by having only two
pectoral nipples, a pendulous penis, and a lack of sensory whiskers.
Rhesus
macaques are familiar brown primates with red faces and rears. They have
close-cropped hair on their heads, which accentuates their very expressive
faces.
Population
Range: Rhesus macaques are Asian, Old World monkeys. Their natural range
includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, and China. A few troops
of introduced rhesus macaques now live wild in Florida. These intelligent
animals can adapt to many habitats, and some can even become accustomed to
living in human communities. This is most common in India, where Hindus regard
the animals as sacred and usually leave them undisturbed.
Behavior: The
rhesus macaque's typical diet includes roots, fruit, seeds, and bark, but also
insects and small animals. They live in active, noisy troops that can include
up to 200 animals. Though these monkeys are good climbers (and swimmers),
troops spend a lot of time on the ground. Males are the dominant sex, but they
do not remain with troops permanently, so female macaques lead these
communities. Because troops include multiple mature males and females, their
members are sexually promiscuous. Females usually produce one young each year,
which will be raised by its mother within the very social environment of the
troop.
Relationship
with Humans: Rhesus macaques have an important history with humans and have
aided a great deal of medical and scientific research. Rhesus antigens found in
their blood enabled doctors to identify the different human blood groups. These
primates also preceded humans into space.