From the long-tailed Spider Monkey to the Japanese Macaque, monkeys are the coolest, cheekiest creatures! Why not join us on a monkey fuelled fact session and find out more about them!?
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Beano Team
Last Updated:February 1st 2024
Monkey's are brilliant, they're so much like us but yet so different! That's probably why people have studied them for such a long time! If you're interested in learning more about these animals, then there's no better place to start than right here! Let's go!
1. Howler Monkeys are the loudest in the world!
Just like their name suggests, these monkeys are really really loud! Their howl can be heard 3 miles away, talk about noisy! Why not see what the loudest you can bellow is? Donât worry you can always say you were simply pretending to be a Howler Monkey!
2. The Pygmy Marmoset is the smallest monkey in the world!
This little monkey is about the size of a banana! Thatâs definitely small enough to fit in your pocket! Wouldnât that be nice? Well, it might if they werenât wild animals that prefer their jungle habitat!
3. Monkeys have BIG brains!
Compared to most other mammals, monkeys have much bigger brains! They use their eyesight a lot more than most animals which rely on their sense of smell to work out whatâs going on around them. Because of how clever they are, they get themselves in all sorts of mischief, the bigger the brain, the cheekier the monkey!
4. Pata Monkeys are the fastest in the world!
These speedy creatures can travel an incredible 35 miles an hour - thatâs really quite fast! Usain Boltâs top speed is only 27 miles an hour so these monkeys are very impressive - not only would they be able to run for the bus, they also wouldnât have to buy a ticket because, you know, theyâre monkeys!
5. Monkeys use tools!
Humans often think that weâre the smartest animals out there, and itâs true that weâre very clever, maybe TOO clever sometimes - but some monkeys have learnt how to use tools to open nuts and dig out ants from ant nests - amazing right? Where will they be in 3 million years?
6. The first animal in space was a monkey!
In 1949 the Americans blasted a monkey called Albert II into space to see if it was safe for humans, they had tried the year before but the rocket didnât quite make it into space. Sadly, Albert II had an accident when the parachute failed on the way back down - was it worth it?
7. The Mandrill Monkey's face gets brighter when theyâre excited!
A little bit like us when weâre embarrassed, these monkeyâs faces get more blue when theyâre excited! Imagine that, going all blue whenever somebody told you some good news?! Sounds pretty cool to us! Just imagine their faces as they wait for their latest prank to come through!
8. Most monkey species live in trees!
Although there are some monkeys that spend a lot of their life on the ground, most of them prefer to hang out, literally, in the trees. Being up high in the trees means that a monkey is safer from predators that might want to eat them on the ground, so it seems quite sensible!
9. A group of monkeys is called a tribe or a troop!
Humans have words for groups of animals that we use to help us talk about them and theyâre very different for each animal. A group of Owls is a Parliament, a group of Dolphins is a Pod - do you know any others?
10. The monkey is in the Chinese zodiac!
It is the ninth year of the Chinese zodiac - in their culture the monkey is a clever, funny and funny energetic symbol and people who are born in this part of the zodiac are supposed to be more like this! What zodiac sign are you?
11. There is only one species of wild monkey in Europe!
The Barbary Macaque was originally brought to north Africa by humans and they mostly live in the mountainous areas of Algeria and Morocco, although there is a small population that lives in Spain too! Cool right!?
12. Some monkeys like a nice hot bath!
The Japanese Macaque spend as much of their time as possible soaking in the hot water springs that can be found all over the country. Scientists have found that having a nice hot bath reduces stress for the monkeys, but that much should be obvious right?! It must be very tiring playing tricks on each other all day!
13. There are lots of species of monkey!
According to scientists there are 336 species of monkey in the world, and each one is different to the other! Sadly, many of them are at risk of becoming extinct because of how badly humans treat the environment - monkeys need a safe and healthy planet to live on, just like us!
14. Most monkeys will eat anything!
Monkeys are generally omnivores, which means that they eat plants, nuts and seeds, but will also eat smaller animals if they can catch them! Other animals that are omnivores are crabs, and us humans (unless youâre a vegetarian of course!). Monkeys are also super cheeky, as we know, so they often steal food from tourists too - watch out for those sandwiches!
15. Monkeys are not the same as Apes!
Lots of people get them mixed up, but a monkey is very different to an ape, for a start, apes donât have tails! They also have much more freedom of movement in their shoulders, examples of apes include gorilla, and humans! Yes thatâs right! Weâre apes!
