Old World monkeys hail from two continents, Africa and Asia, living in various terrains, including rainforests , savannah, mountains, and shrublands. Old-World Monkeys are the largest primate family in the world. Baboons, macaques, colobus, Guenons, and langurs are examples of old-world monkeys.
New World monkeys come from tropical regions of central and south American countries. Marmosets , sakis, night monkeys, spider monkeys , Uakaris, and tamarins are examples of New-World Monkeys .
Old-World Monkeys vs New-World Monkeys Aspect Old World Monkeys New World Monkeys Taxonomic Family Cercopithecidae. Cebidae, Callitrichidae, Atelidae, Pitheciidae, and Aotidae. Geographic Origin Africa and Asia. The Americas. Relative Body Size Medium to large-sized. Small to medium-sized. Diet Either herbivorous or omnivorous depending on the subfamily. Varies a lot by species, but many are frugivorous or insectivorous. Active Time All species are diurnal. All species are diurnal except for the 11 night monkey species (which are nocturnal). Hands They possess nails and opposable thumbs. They possess no nails and non-opposable thumbs. Tail Non-prehensile. Prehensile or non-prehensile depending on the species. Teeth Dental formula of 2.1.2.3 (meaning each quadrant of the mouth has 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars). Dental formula of 2.1.3.3 (meaning each quadrant of the mouth has 2 incisors, 1 canine, 3 premolars, and 3 molars). Eyes Trichromatic vision. Depending on the species and sex, vision can be monochromatic, dichromatic, or trichromatic. Nose Downward-facing nose and nostrils. Flat, broad nose with sideways-facing nostrils. Sexual Behaviour Most species fall somwhere between polygynous and polygynandrous. Smaller species tend to stick to monogamy, while larger ones are typically polygamous. Gestation Gestation period is typically around 5 to 7 months. Gestation period is, on average, about 5 months.
Monkeys are classified into two main groups: Old-world monkeys and New-world monkeys. Explore all 334 different types of monkeys and their facts here.
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