A small ape. The first hominoids were apes. Environment and habitat
The most developed, most intelligent monkeys are anthropoids. That’s how the word begs to be called – humanoid. And all because they have a lot in common with our species. We can talk about apes a lot, for a long time and with passion, simply because they are really close to our species. But, first things first.
There are 4 types of these animals:
- gorillas,
- orangutans,
- chimpanzee,
- bonobos (or pygmy chimpanzees).
Bonobos and chimpanzees are very similar to each other, but the remaining two species are not at all similar to each other or to chimpanzees. However, all great apes There are many similarities, for example:
- they have no tail,
- similar structure of the hands of the upper limbs and human hands,
- the volume of the brain is very large (at the same time, its surface is full of grooves and convolutions, and this indicates a high level of intelligence of these animals)
- there are 4 blood groups,
- In medicine, bonobo blood is used for transfusion to a person with a suitable blood type.
All these facts indicate the “blood” relationship of these creatures with people.
Both species of gorillas and chimpanzees live in Africa, and this continent, as you know, is considered the cradle of all humanity. The orangutan, according to scientists, our most genetically distant relative among the great apes, lives in Asia.
common chimpanzee
Chimpanzee social life
Chimpanzees usually live in groups, with an average of 15-20 individuals. The group, which is headed by one male leader, also includes females and males of all ages. Groups of chimpanzees occupy territories, which the males themselves protect from incursions by neighbors.
In places where there is enough food for a group to live comfortably, chimpanzees lead a sedentary lifestyle. However, if there is not enough food for the entire group, then they wander quite long distances in search of food. It happens that the territories of residence of several groups overlap. In this case, they unite for some time. It is interesting that in all conflicts the advantage goes to the group that contains more males and which is therefore stronger. Chimpanzees do not create permanent families. This means that any adult male has the right to freely choose his next girlfriend from among adult females, both from his own group and from the group that has joined.
After an 8-month gestation period, a female chimpanzee gives birth to one absolutely helpless baby. Up to a year of life, the female carries the baby on her stomach, after which the baby independently transfers to her back. For as long as 9-9.5 years, the female and the cub are practically inseparable. His mother teaches him everything she knows, shows him the world around him and other members of the group. There are cases when teenagers are sent to their own “kindergarten”. there they frolic with peers under the supervision of several adults, usually females. When the baby turns 13 years old, the chimpanzee enters adulthood and begins to be considered independent members of the pack. At the same time, young males begin to fight for leadership,
Chimpanzees are quite aggressive animals. Conflicts often occur in the group, which even escalate into bloody fights, which often end in death. Apes are able to establish relationships with each other through a wide range of facial expressions, gestures and sounds with which they convey their approval. These animals express friendly feelings through picking each other's fur.
Chimpanzees get their food in trees and on the ground, feeling in their place in both places. Their food includes:
- plant food,
- insects,
- small living creatures.
In addition, hungry chimpanzees as a whole group can go out hunting and capture, for example, a gazelle for shared food.
Skillful hands and a smart head
Chimpanzees are extremely smart, they are able to use tools, deliberately selecting the most convenient tool. They are even capable of improving it. For example, to climb into an anthill, an ape uses a twig: it selects a twig of appropriate size and optimizes it by tearing off the leaves on it. Or, for example, they use a stick to knock down a tall growing fruit. Or to hit an opponent with it during a fight.
To break a nut, the monkey places it on a flat stone specially selected for this purpose, and uses another sharp stone to break the shell.
To quench their thirst, the chimpanzee uses a large leaf and uses it as a scoop. Or he makes a sponge from a pre-chewed leaf, dips it in a stream and squeezes the water into his mouth.
When hunting, great apes can stone a victim to death; a hail of cobblestones will await a predator, for example, a leopard, who dares to hunt these animals.
In order not to get wet when crossing a pond, chimpanzees are able to build a bridge from sticks, and they will use wide leaves as an umbrella, fly swatter, fan and as toilet paper.
Gorilla
Good giants or monsters?
It is easy to imagine the feelings of the person who first saw a gorilla in front of him - a humanoid giant, frightening aliens with menacing screams, beating his chest with his fists, breaking and uprooting young trees. Such encounters with forest monsters gave rise to terrible stories and tales about the fiends of hell, whose superhuman strength poses a mortal danger, if not for the human race, then for its psyche.
Unfortunately, this is not an exaggeration. Such legends, which pushed the public to the fact that these humanoid creatures began to be treated too incorrectly, at one time caused an almost uncontrolled, panicky extermination of gorillas. The species was threatened with complete extinction if it were not for the work and efforts of scientists who took under their protection these giants, about whom in those years people knew almost nothing at all.
As it turned out, it seemed these creepy monsters are the most peaceful herbivores who eat only plant foods. Besides they are almost completely non-aggressive, but demonstrate their strength and, even more so, use it only when there is real danger and if someone comes to their territory.
Moreover, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, gorillas try to scare off offenders, it doesn’t matter whether it’s another male, a ruler of another species, or a human. Then all possible means of intimidation come into play:
- screams,
- pounding your chest with your fists,
- breaking down trees, etc.
Features of the life of a gorilla
Gorillas, like chimpanzees, live in small groups, but their numbers are usually smaller - 5-10 individuals. Among them there is usually the head of the group - the eldest male, several females with cubs of different ages and 1-2 young males. The leader is easy to recognize: It has silver-gray fur on its back.
By the age of 14, the male gorilla becomes sexually mature, and instead of black fur, a light stripe appears on his back.
An already mature male is enormous: he is 180 cm tall and sometimes weighs 300 kg. The one of the silver-backed males who turns out to be the eldest becomes the leader of the group. The care of all family members is entrusted to his powerful shoulders.
The main male in the group gives signals to wake up at sunrise and to sleep at sunset, he himself chooses the path in the thickets along which the rest of the group will go in search of food, regulates order and peace in the group. He also protects all of his people from impending dangers, of which there are a huge number in the rainforest.
The younger generation in the group is raised by their own mothers. However, if the baby suddenly becomes orphaned, then it is the leader of the pack who takes them under his wing. He will carry them on his back, sleep next to them and make sure that their games are not dangerous.
When protecting orphan cubs, the leader may even fight with a leopard or even with armed people.
Often the capture of a baby gorilla entails not only the death of its mother, but also the death of the leader of the group. The remaining members of the group, deprived of protection and care, young animals and helpless females also stand on the edge of the abyss if one of the single males does not take responsibility for the orphaned family.
Orangutans
Orangutan: features of life
"Orangutan" is translated from Malay as "man of the forest". This name refers to large apes that live in the jungles of the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Orangutans are one of the most amazing creatures on earth. They differ in many ways from other apes.
Orangutans are arboreal. Even though their weight is quite significant, 65-100 kg, they climb trees remarkably well even at a height of 15-20 m. They prefer not to go down to the ground.
Of course, due to the weight of their body, they cannot jump from branch to branch, but at the same time they are able to confidently and quickly climb trees.
Orangutans eat almost around the clock, eating
- fruit,
- foliage,
- bird eggs,
- chicks.
In the evenings, orangutans build their homes, and each one has his own place, where they settle down for the night. They sleep holding a branch with one of their paws so as not to fall down in their sleep.
Every night, orangutans settle down in a new place, for which they again build a “bed” for themselves. These animals practically do not form groups, preferring a solitary life or life in pairs (mother - cubs, female - male), although there are cases when a pair of adults and several cubs of different ages form almost a family.
The female of these animals gives birth to 1 cub. His mother takes care of him for about 7 years, until he is old enough to live independently.
Until the age of 3, a baby orangutan feeds only on its mother’s milk, and only after this period does the mother begin to give it solid food. She chews the leaves for him, thus making a vegetable puree for him.
She prepares the baby for adult life, teaching him how to climb trees correctly and how to build a place to sleep. Baby orangutans are very playful and affectionate, and they perceive the entire process of education and training as an entertaining game.
Orangutans are very savvy animals. In captivity, they learn to use tools and are even able to make them themselves. But in conditions of free life, these apes rarely use their abilities: the incessant search for food does not give them time to develop their natural intelligence.
Bonobos
The bonobo, or pygmy chimpanzee, is our closest relative
Few people know about the existence of our closest relative, the bonobo. Although the set of genes in the dwarf chimpanzee coincides with the set of human genes by as much as 98%! They are also very close to us in the basics of social-emotional behavior.
They live in Central Africa, northeast and northwest Congo. They never leave tree branches and move on the ground very rarely.
Characteristic behavioral features of this species are joint hunting.. They can wage war among themselves, then the presence of power politics is revealed.
Bonobos have no sign language, so characteristic of other creatures. They give each other vocal signals and they are very different from the signals of the second type of chimpanzee.
The bonobo's voice consists of high, harsh and barking sounds. For hunting they use various primitive objects: stones, sticks. In captivity, their intellect gets the opportunity to grow and express itself. There, they become real masters in mastering objects and inventing new ones.
Bonobos do not have a leader like other primates. A distinctive and characteristic feature of pygmy chimpanzees is that at the head of their group or the whole community is a female.
Females stay in groups. They also include cubs and juveniles up to 6 years of age. The males stay away, but not nearby.
It is interesting that almost all aggressive outbursts in bonobos are replaced by elements of mating behavior.
The fact that females dominate among them was revealed by scientists in an experiment when combined with groups of monkeys of both species. In bonobo groups, females are the first to eat. If the male does not agree, then the females join forces and expel the male. Fights never occur during eating, but mating always occurs just before eating.
Conclusion
As many wise books claim, animals are our smaller brothers. And we can say with confidence that apes are our brothers - our neighbors.
The smartest, most developed monkeys are apes. There are 4 types of them: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and pygmy chimpanzees, or bonobos. Chimpanzees and bonobos are very similar to each other, but the other two species are completely different from either chimpanzees or each other. But, nevertheless, all apes have much in common. These monkeys do not have a tail, the structure of the hands is similar to that of a human, the volume of the brain is very large, and its surface is dotted with grooves and convolutions, which indicates the high intelligence of these animals. Apes, like humans, have 4 blood types, and bonobo blood can even be transfused to a person with the corresponding blood type - this indicates their “blood” relationship with humans.
Both chimpanzees and gorillas live in Africa, the continent considered the cradle of humanity, while the orangutan, our most distant relative among the apes, lives in Asia.
SOCIAL LIFE OF CHIMPANZEES
Chimpanzees live in groups of an average of 20 individuals. The group, led by one male leader, includes males and females of all ages. A group of chimpanzees lives in a territory, which the males protect from incursions by neighbors.
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In places where there is plenty of food, chimpanzees lead a sedentary lifestyle, but if food is scarce, they wander widely in search of food. It happens that the living space of several groups intersects, then they temporarily unite, and in all disputes the group that has more males and is therefore stronger has an advantage. Chimpanzees do not form permanent married couples, and all adult males can freely choose a girlfriend from among the adult females of both their own and the neighboring group that has joined.
After an 8-month pregnancy, a female chimpanzee gives birth to one completely helpless baby. The mother carries the baby on her stomach for up to a year, then the baby independently moves onto her back. For 9 years, mother and child are almost inseparable. Mothers teach their cubs everything they know, introducing them to the world around them and to other members of the group. Sometimes grown-up babies are sent to a “kindergarten”, where they frolic with their peers under the supervision of several adult females. By the age of 13, chimpanzees become adults, independent members of the group, and young males gradually become involved in the struggle for leadership.
Chimpanzees are quite aggressive animals. Quarrels often occur within the group, escalating into bloody fights, sometimes with fatal results. A wide range of gestures, facial expressions and sounds help monkeys establish relationships with each other, with the help of which they show dissatisfaction or approval. Monkeys express friendly feelings by picking each other's fur.
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Chimpanzees get food both on the ground and in the trees, feeling quite confident everywhere. In addition to plant foods, their diet includes insects and small animals. Moreover, hungry monkeys as a whole community can go hunting and get, for example, a gazelle.
SMART HEAD AND SKILLFUL HANDS
Chimpanzees are very smart and know how to use tools, and they specifically select the most convenient tool and can even improve it. So, in order to climb into an anthill, a chimpanzee takes a twig and tears off all the leaves on it. They use a stick to knock down a tall fruit or hit an opponent during a fight. Getting to the core of the nut, the monkey can place it on a specially selected flat stone, and use another sharp one to break the shell. To get a drink, the chimpanzee uses a large leaf as a scoop or makes a sponge from a chewed leaf, dips it in a stream and squeezes the water into his mouth.During a hunt, monkeys are able to throw stones at their prey; a hail of stones awaits a predator, such as a leopard, who dares to hunt monkeys. To avoid getting wet when crossing a stream, chimpanzees can make a bridge out of sticks; they use leaves as umbrellas, fly swatters, fans, and even as toilet paper.
MONSTERS OR GOODNESS GIANTS?
It is not difficult to imagine the feelings of a person who sees a gorilla in the wild for the first time - a humanoid giant who scares the alien with menacing screams, beats himself in the chest with his fists, breaks and uproots young trees. Such encounters with forest monsters gave rise to legends about the fiends of hell, whose superhuman strength poses a serious danger to the human race. The emergence of such legends caused the ruthless extermination of gorillas. It is unknown what human fear and ignorance would have led to if scientists had not taken under their protection these huge monkeys, about whom they knew almost nothing at that time.
It turned out that the “monstrous” gorillas are peaceful vegetarians, eating exclusively plant foods; moreover, they are almost not aggressive and use their strength only in defense. To avoid bloodshed, male gorillas try to scare off an opponent - be it another male or a human. That’s when all means of intimidation come into play: screaming, roaring, beating yourself in the chest with your fists and breaking branches.
Gorillas live in small groups, usually 5-10 animals, including 1-2 young males, several females with cubs of different ages, and the head of the group - an older male, who is easily distinguished by the silver-gray hair on his back. By the age of 14, a male gorilla reaches sexual maturity and instead of black fur, a light stripe appears on his back. An adult male is huge: with a height of about 180 cm, he can weigh up to 300 kg. The eldest of the silverback males becomes the head of the family group, and the care of all its members falls on his powerful shoulders. The leader gives signals for waking up in the morning and going to bed in the evening, chooses a path in the forest that the whole group will follow in search of food, and maintains order and peace in the family. He protects his charges from all the dangers that the tropical forest conceals.
The cubs in the group are raised by females - their mothers. But, if suddenly the kids become orphaned, it is the silver-backed patriarch who will take them under his protection, carry them on himself, sleep next to them and watch their games. While protecting the cubs, the leader can enter into a duel with a leopard and even with armed poachers.
Often the capture of a baby gorilla costs not only the life of its mother, but also the life of the leader of the group. Having lost their leader and deprived of protection and care, helpless females and young animals may well die if some single male does not take care of the orphaned family.
JUST LIKE PEOPLE
The life routine of gorillas is very similar to that of humans. At sunrise, at a signal from the leader, the entire group wakes up and begins to search for food. After lunch, the family rests, digesting what they have eaten. Young males sleep at a distance, females with cubs are closer to the leader, juveniles frolic next to them - each has its own place. At night, gorillas build nest-beds from branches and leaves. Nests are usually located on the ground. Only light young animals can afford to climb low into a tree and make a bed there.
Cubs enjoy special love in the family. The kids spend most of their time with their mother, but the whole group participates in their upbringing, and adults are patient with the pranks of young people. Gorillas grow up slowly, only twice as fast as human children. Newborns are completely helpless and need maternal care; only by 4-5 months can they move on four legs, and by eight months they can walk upright. Then they grow up faster; surrounded by relatives, young gorillas quickly learn everything. At the age of 7, females become fully grown, males mature by 10-12 years, and at 14 years their back becomes silver. The silverback male often leaves the group and lives alone for a long time until he manages to create a new family.
THE MAIN ENEMY IS MAN
Huge and strong gorillas have few enemies in nature. Even the largest predator of African forests, the leopard, rarely dares to attack a gorilla. But, like all animals, forest giants are powerless against the traps, snares and guns of poachers who obtain cubs for livestock traders, skulls and hands of adult males for lovers of exotic souvenirs and meat for gourmets and fans of African cooking. And although the strictest measures are being taken to protect these rare animals, gorillas continue to be killed, because sometimes poaching is the only form of income available to the local population.
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"THE FOREST PEOPLE"
"Orangutan" - translated from Malay - means "forest man". This is the name of the great apes that live in the jungles of the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Orangutans are amazing creatures and differ in many ways from other great apes. Firstly, orangutans lead an arboreal lifestyle and, despite their significant weight (70-100 kg), they climb trees well at a height of up to 20 m and do not like to go down to the ground. It is clear that such heavy animals cannot jump from branch to branch, but they are able to climb confidently and quickly. Orangutans feed almost all day long, eating fruits and leaves, as well as bird eggs and chicks. In the evening, orangutans build nests, each their own, and settle there for the night. They sleep holding a branch with one paw so as not to fall in their sleep. Every night these monkeys settle down in a new place and build a new bed for themselves. Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans rarely form groups, preferring to live alone or in pairs (female - male, mother - cubs), but sometimes a pair of adult animals and several cubs of different ages form a family group.
A female orangutan gives birth to one baby, which the mother takes care of for almost 7 years until it becomes an adult. Until the age of 3, a small orangutan feeds almost exclusively on its mother’s milk, and only then does its mother begin to introduce it to solid food. Chewing the leaves, she makes vegetable puree for her child. Preparing the baby for adulthood, the mother teaches him to climb trees and build nests. Baby orangutans are very affectionate and playful, and they perceive the entire learning process as an entertaining game. Orangutans are very smart; in captivity they learn to use tools and even make them themselves. But in nature, these monkeys rarely use their abilities: the constant search for food does not leave them time to develop their natural intelligence.
When asked what species of monkeys belong to the group of anthropoids, many people answer without hesitation: “chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan.” Those who are more knowledgeable in zoology also call the gibbon. But few people know about the existence of our much closer relative, the bonobo, or pygmy chimpanzee. And this despite the fact that the set of bonobo genes coincides with the set of human genes by 98%!
Orangutans and gorillas are able to determine by the image of an animal whether it belongs to a certain class: they distinguish between mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and fish.
Orangutans and bonobos are capable of planning their actions. Both types of monkeys stored the necessary tools to obtain one or another reward in the future. Analyzing a series of carefully designed experiments, researchers have concluded that the ability to foresee the future is not a uniquely human trait. This trait is most likely embedded in the mental patterns of animals.
Alexander Markov
Primates have evolved many new genes (mostly by duplicating old ones), but very little is known about the functions of these genes or the details of their evolutionary history. One of these genes, CDC14Bretro, appeared in the common ancestor of great apes as a result of the activity of retrotransposons. Later, in the common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees and humans, the gene underwent rapid changes under the influence of selection, changing its “profession” and “place of work”.
Alexander Markov
The results of a study of the oldest and most complete skeleton of a baby Australopithecus afarensis have been published. The skeleton was discovered in December 2000 in eastern Ethiopia, in roughly the same area where the famous Lucy was found in 1974, and belongs to a three-year-old girl who lived 3.3 million years ago. Apparently, the girl died during the flood and was immediately covered with sand, which ensured exceptional preservation of the bones. A study of the unique find confirmed that Australopithecus afarensis were bipedal creatures with an almost human-like lower body, retaining many ape-like features in the structure of the arms and skull.
Of all the arguments that prove that humans are fundamentally different from animals, the most compelling concerns the human ability to understand the minds of others. Only people can not only perceive their own experiences, but also realize that the thoughts and views of other people are different from their own. However, the results of a recent study published in Science suggest that monkeys are endowed with the same ability.
The formation of vocalizations (that is, sounds made) in newborn marmosets depends on whether they receive feedback from their parents. At first glance, this result, of course, does not look like a sensational discovery. However, it is very important because it contradicts traditional ideas that sound signals in primates are strictly innate and do not depend in any way on experience and social environment. We decided to figure out what the new results mean for understanding the nature of language, what scientists currently think about its origins, and why it is so difficult to teach monkeys to speak.
Coco the western lowland gorilla was born on July 4, 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo. At the age of one year, animal psychologist Francine Patterson began working with Coco and began teaching her sign language. At the age of 19, the gorilla successfully passed the “mirror test,” which determines the ability of animals to recognize themselves in a mirror (most gorillas and other animals are incapable of this). Patterson admitted that at the beginning of her training she also believed that the gorilla unconsciously performed actions to receive a reward, but rethought this after Koko began to make up her own words. The ring became a “finger bracelet,” and the mask was called the “eye cap.” Coco was one of the few known animals who had pets - kittens, which she herself chose the name of.
Researchers have unearthed ancient hammer stones in Ivory Coast. Based on some features, scientists have determined that these tools were used by chimpanzees. And if the archaeologists' conclusions are correct, we have before us the earliest known example of such behavior of monkeys.
For the first time, scientists have documented wild gorillas using simple tools (sticks) to measure the depth of a swamp.
It’s probably no secret to anyone that for a long time in scientific circles the monkey was considered our closest relative, and the origin of man was traced back to the monkey. Now this scientific theory is being questioned; not all scientists believe that we, the so-called “Homo sapiens,” descended from monkeys. However, scientific debates on this matter are still ongoing, but our article is not about this, but about those amazing creatures, our smaller brothers, who, among all the diverse animal world of planet Earth, are really most similar in structure to us, people.
Monkey: description, structure, characteristics. What does a monkey look like?
Let's start with the fact that the very origin of the name “monkey” is very curious. Until the 16th century, we called the monkey “opitsa”; by the way, the Czechs still call it that way. After the Russian traveler Afanasy Nikitin returned from his famous trip to India, he brought into use the Persian name “abuzina,” literally meaning “father of fornication.” Subsequently, the Persian “abuzina” was transformed into “monkey”.
The body length of a monkey, depending on its species, can range from 15 cm (for the pygmy marmoset) to 2 m (for the gorilla). Also, the weight of a monkey can range from 150 grams for the smallest representatives of the species, up to 275 kg - this is how much huge gorillas weigh.
Many monkeys lead an arboreal lifestyle, that is, they predominantly live in trees and, as a result, have a long back, a shortened narrow chest, and thin hip bones. But orangutans and gibbons have a wide chest and massive pelvic bones.
Some monkeys have a very long tail, the length of which can even exceed the size of the body; the monkey's tail acts as a balancer when moving between trees. But monkeys living on the ground have a very short tail. As for monkeys without a tail, all “humanoid” monkeys do not have it (just as humans do not have it).
The body of monkeys is covered with fur of different colors, depending on the species it can be light brown, red, black and white, gray-olive. Some adult monkeys may turn gray with age, and male monkeys may go bald, again much like humans.
Monkeys have mobile, well-developed upper limbs, very similar to our hands, each with five fingers, and monkeys living in trees have short and large fingers, which allows them to comfortably fly from branch to branch.
Monkeys have binocular vision, many of them have black pupils.
The teeth of monkeys are also similar to humans; narrow-nosed monkeys have 32 teeth, and broad-nosed monkeys have 36.
The monkey’s brain is also very well developed; among other representatives of the animal world, only dolphins could compete with monkeys in terms of intelligence. Apes have entire sections of the brain responsible for meaningful actions.
Monkeys communicate with each other using a special signaling system consisting of facial expressions and sounds. The most “chatty” among them are monkeys and capuchins; they have rich facial expressions and are able to express a wide range of feelings.
Where do monkeys live
Monkeys live on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, of course. In Europe they live only in Gibraltar, in southeast Asia, Africa (with the exception of Madagascar), Central and South America, and Australia.
Monkey lifestyle
Monkeys live in small families and, according to their lifestyle, are divided into arboreal monkeys, living in trees, and terrestrial monkeys, living on the ground. Monkeys tend to be sedentary and rarely leave their territory.
Sometimes there are clashes between male monkeys, with the goal of resolving the answer to the question “who is the main male here,” although often such clashes are limited to a demonstration of the strength of each male and do not lead to a real fight.
How long do monkeys live?
On average, the life expectancy of monkeys is 30-40 years. However, great apes live longer; they can live up to 50 years.
What do monkeys eat?
Monkeys are omnivores, and their diet depends on the species and also the habitat. Tree monkeys eat everything that can be obtained from the trees - various fruits, nuts, and sometimes insects.
Land monkeys eat rhizomes and shoots of plants (for example, ferns are a favorite delicacy of the gorilla), fruits (figs, mangoes, and, of course, bananas). Also, some monkeys know how to fish and happily eat mollusks, rodents, grasshoppers, beetles and other small animals.
Although there are species of monkeys that eat only one, specific food, for example, Japanese stump-tailed macaques are pure vegetarians and feed exclusively on tree bark, and the crab-eating macaque, as its name suggests, feeds on crabs.
Monkey Enemies
Unfortunately, the monkeys themselves have many natural enemies who are not averse to feasting on these primates. The most sworn enemies of monkeys are leopards, who are also capable of climbing trees well, and other predatory animals - lions, cheetahs.
Types of monkeys, photos and names
In general, all types of monkeys can be divided into:
- broad-nosed monkeys - this includes monkeys living on the American continent,
- narrow-nosed monkeys are all other monkeys that live in Africa, Asia, Australia and European Gibraltar.
Regarding different species of monkeys, zoologists have separately distinguished the species of anthropoid apes, species of small monkeys, etc. In general, there are more than 400 species of these primates in nature, below we will describe the most interesting of them.
It is a member of the spider monkey family. It is so named due to the fact that it produces characteristic sounds that can be heard at a distance of up to 5 km. Male black howler monkeys are covered with black fur and fully justify their name, but female black howler monkeys are not black at all, their fur is yellow-brown or olive in color. The length of this monkey is 56-67 cm, with a weight of 6.7 kg. The black howler monkey lives in South America, in countries such as Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia.
Belonging to the prehensile-tailed family, the capuchin is an arboreal monkey that lives in trees. The weight of a capuchin is 3 kg. It has a brown or gray-brown color. A very curious feature of this species of monkeys is their habit of rubbing themselves with poisonous centipedes () to protect themselves from blood-sucking insects. Mourning capuchins live in the crowns of tropical forests in Brazil and Venezuela.
It got its unusual name thanks to its gray color with shades of blue and a white stripe of fur that runs over the eyebrows like a crown. The body length of the crowned monkey is 50-60 cm and weighs 5-6 kg. Monkeys live in African forests from the Congo River basin to Ethiopia and Angola.
Belongs to the apes of the gibbon family. It is 55-65 cm in length and weighs 5-6 kg. The coat color of the white-handed gibbon can be black, sand or brown, but its hands are always white, hence the name. These gibbons live in the tropical forests of China and the Malay Archipelago.
Eastern gorilla
Gorilla is the largest ape in the world. The average size of a gorilla is 185 cm with a body weight of 180 kg. Although sometimes you come across larger gorillas, weighing as much as 220 kg. These huge monkeys are distinguished by their large heads, broad shoulders, and open chests. The color of the gorilla's coat is black; in old age, gorillas, like people, can turn gray. Despite their menacing appearance, gorillas prefer to eat grass and plant shoots rather than hunt game. Gorillas live in the equatorial forests of Central and Western Africa.
He is also a white-headed saki, in our opinion this monkey has the strangest appearance - the black color of his fur contrasts brightly with the white color of his face. The size of pale saki is 30-48 cm and weighs 2 kg. This is an arboreal monkey living in the forests of Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname.
He is also a frog baboon, a species of narrow-nosed monkeys that spend their entire lives exclusively on the ground. It is also a rather large monkey, the body length of the hamadryas is 70-100 cm, weight 30 kg. It also has an unusual appearance - long hair on the shoulders and chest forms a kind of fur cape. The hamadryas lives in both Africa and Asia in a number of countries, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen.
The proboscis monkey, also known as kahau, belongs to the monkey family. A striking feature of this monkey is its large nose, which the monkeys even have to hold with their hands while eating. It has a yellow-brown color. The size of the proboscis monkey is 66-77 cm and weighs 15-22 kg. It also has a long tail, which is equal in size to the length of their body. These unusual species of monkeys live exclusively on the island of Borneo.
Living in the northern part of the Japanese island of Honshu, this monkey is a real calling card of these places. The size of the Japanese macaque is 80-95 cm, weight 12-14 kg. These monkeys have bright red skin, which is especially noticeable on their face and buttocks, which are devoid of fur. Macaques living in northern Japan survive the cold winter months in special thermal springs, warming up in their hot waters (and at the same time attracting crowds of tourists from all over the world).
The Sumatran orangutan is a fairly large monkey, its size reaches one and a half meters and weighs 150-160 kg. In terms of size, the orangutan ranks second after the gorilla. It has well-developed muscles, a massive body covered with red hair, and is an excellent tree climber. The orangutan's face has fat pads located on the cheeks, and the beard and mustache give it a very funny look. The charismatic Sumatran orangutan lives exclusively on the island of Sumatra.
For some reason, monkeys are most associated with chimpanzees, which are the most characteristic representative of the monkey kingdom. Chimpanzees are also relatively large monkeys, their body length is 140-160 cm and their weight is 65-80 kg, that is, they are the same size as humans. The body of a chimpanzee is covered with black fur. It is also very curious that these anthropoid apes are the only ones who thought of creating a kind of tools that facilitate the process of obtaining food, they are able to sharpen the ends of sticks, turning them into imitation spears, they can use stone leaves as traps for insects, etc. Without a doubt, chimpanzees are the most intelligent among monkeys, and if Darwin’s theory is right, then they are the ones who are in the closest family relationship with us humans. Chimpanzees live mainly in Central and Western Africa.
And finally, it was impossible not to mention the pygmy marmoset - the smallest monkey in the world. Its length is only 10-15 cm, weight – 100-150 grams. They live in the forests of South America, feeding exclusively on tree sap.
Reproduction of monkeys in nature
Monkey reproduction occurs throughout the year and each species has its own individual characteristics. Puberty in monkeys usually occurs at 7-8 years. Some species of monkeys are monogamous and create permanent families for life, others, such as capuchins, on the contrary, are polygamous, so female capuchins mate with several males, and the males do the same.
A monkey's pregnancy can last from 6 to 8.5 months, again depending on the species. Usually one baby is born at a time, but there are species of monkeys that can give birth to twins.
Little monkeys, like real primates, are fed with their mother's breast milk, and the period of feeding also varies from one monkey to another. The female gorilla feeds her cubs the longest - this period lasts up to 3.5 years.
Keeping monkeys at home
Despite the fact that monkeys are wild creatures, they are nevertheless very easy to train, get used to captivity, and, under favorable conditions, feel quite comfortable in zoos. True, keeping a monkey at home is not the best idea, they are terrible mischievous and restless, and if you have already decided to have a pet monkey, then you should be prepared for it to create real chaos in your house. To prevent this, the monkey can be kept in a spacious cage.
You can feed the monkey fish, chicken or turkey, boiled eggs, vegetables, nuts, and fresh fruits.
- Some species of monkeys are very clean and spend almost the whole day caring for their appearance.
- During the development of astronautics, 32 monkeys have already visited space.
- Spider monkeys have such a developed and strong tail that they can easily hang on a tree branch with its help alone.
- A group of American scientists managed to teach a female gorilla a certain number of words from the language of the deaf and dumb, after which she was able to quite successfully communicate with people.
Monkeys, video
And in conclusion, an interesting documentary about monkeys from the Discovery Channel - “Monkeys on the Warpath”
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Apes, or hominids, are not the ancestors of humans. However, most likely, humans and apes descend from common ancestors. Our anatomy is very similar to that of hominids, but the human brain is much larger. The most important difference between a person and an ape is the mind, the ability to think, feel, take deliberate actions and communicate using language.
Hominids (lat. Hominidae) are a family of primates that includes gibbons and hominids. The latter include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans. The first researchers, having discovered such monkeys in the jungle, were amazed by their external resemblance to people and at first considered them a kind of cross between a person and an animal.
The brain of modern anthropoids is relatively larger in volume than that of other animals (except dolphins): up to 600 cm³ (in large species); it is marked by well-developed grooves and whorls. Therefore, the higher nervous activity of these monkeys resembles that of humans; they easily develop conditioned reflexes and, what is especially important, they are able to use various objects as simple tools. They have a good memory, fairly rich facial expressions, expressing different emotions: joy, anger, sadness, etc. But, despite all the similarities with humans, they cannot be put on the same level as people.
Chimpanzee(lat. Pan) live in Africa, where, apparently, the first people appeared. Common chimpanzees grow up to 1.3 m, weigh up to 90 kg, and are able to move on their hind limbs. It is the closest primate to humans. Once every three to five years, the female gives birth to one cub, which remains in the care of the elders for a long time. Family ties among chimpanzees are very strong. It happens that an old female helps her daughter nurse her grandchildren. Chimpanzees have a very rich “language” of communication: sounds, facial expressions and gestures.
When they ask, they extend their hands in a very human way. Rejoicing at the meeting, they hug and kiss. They know how to notify relatives by beating drums on hollow tree trunks. They use stones and branches as tools. They break the nuts with stones and remove termites with twigs. They apply leaves of medicinal plants to the wounds and even... wipe themselves with them after using the toilet. For male chimpanzees, as for humans, male friendships are of great importance for life. Such friendly friends are always ready to help each other. They live in family groups, learn quickly and use various tools. Although chimpanzees pass on their accumulated experience to subsequent generations, no other animal is able to do this as effectively as humans. Pygmy chimpanzees are distinguished by a more fragile physique, long legs, black skin (the average chimpanzee has pink skin), etc.
Gorillas(males) grow to 1.75 m or more and weigh up to 250 kg. Chest girth up to 180 cm. This is the largest primate in the world, including humans! Its habitat is the moist equatorial forest of Central and Eastern Africa. An ardent vegetarian. It feeds on fruits, succulent herbaceous vegetation, and young shoots. Doesn't eat any meat in nature! An adult male always has a gray back. In gorillas it is a sign of male maturity. At night, females with children sleep in the trees in a nest, and heavy males make a bed of branches on the ground. By nature, gorillas are phlegmatic and do not quarrel with anyone. Not aggressive. They begin to rage only when an attempt is made to pursue them, beat themselves in the chest, and then attack the enemy and selflessly protect relatives. A wonderful example of true nobility for animals and people.
s(lat. Pongo) live in Borneo and Sumatra. Males grow up to 1.5 m, weight can reach 130 kg. Long forelimbs allow them to easily move through trees. This is the largest arboreal animal in the world! The female gives birth to only one calf every three to five years. The baby remains under her care until he is four or five years old. From the age of 4 they begin to team up in games with other kids. Its close relationship with humans is confirmed even by its name. "Orangutan" means "man of the forest" in Malay. The orangutan is very strong, only the elephant and the tiger command respect from him! In the hands it is unhurried, even slow. Doesn't make leaps. He simply swings the tree he is on, intercepts the branch of the neighboring one with his long strong hand, then pulls himself up - and is already on another tree. Its slowness is deceptive; not a single person in the forest can catch up with the orangutan. At night it settles in a nest built from branches and leaves. This makes a wonderful springy bed. He often hides from a downpour under a plucked giant palm leaf, like under an umbrella.
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MOSCOW, 17 Oct— RIA Novosti, Anna Urmantseva. When paleoanthropologists are asked at what point the genus Homo diverged from the great apes, and what might be considered the defining moment in that process, they usually talk long and vaguely about a variety of concepts.
An orangutan was able to imitate human speech for the first timeScientists managed to get a primate to repeat sounds using the simulation game “Do as I do.” The orangutan imitated more than 500 vowel sounds, indicating its ability to control its voice.The idea that “labor made a man out of a monkey”, it turns out, has long been questioned, since in this case the answer to the main question must be sought at the moment of the appearance of the first tools of labor. And then it turns out that those whom we arrogantly call “humanoids” have them at a certain point in time, like two peas in a pod, like the tools of our ancestors. And if there are no biological remains of a creature next to the chipped stone, it is almost impossible to establish who was the owner of the “product” - an ape or a representative of the genus Homo.
The divergence begins with the Australopithecus. Some scientists believe that they were the direct ancestors of modern humans, others believe that it was a sister dead-end branch of evolution.
But, according to general data, six to seven million years ago there were certain animals that in all respects resembled modern apes. Then some of the animals from this group separated into the sapient line. It is not entirely clear whether Australopithecines (this can be called a large evolutionary group of hominids, whose chronological period (as a genus) is determined from 4.2 to 1.8 million years ago) walked upright and could use tools. Some believe that the first primitive pebble-type tools appeared among Australopithecines approximately 3,300,000 years ago. Other scientists insist that this is already a product of the Homo genus. The further fate of Homo sapiens is even more blurred.
© AP Photo/Anjan Sundaram
© AP Photo/Anjan Sundaram
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific director of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the SB RAS Anatoly Derevyanko explains: “Australopithecines are our predecessors, but not yet people. Homo habilis, Homo erectus and other species came from them, but no one knows who exactly was our direct ancestor. Most scientists assume that erectus. However, at some stage, modern humans and apes were at the same stage of development. Therefore, I advocate that apes be included in the genus Homo. On the other hand, I understand perfectly well that tools, which were made by both apes and humans are the same in form, but not in essence. Chimpanzees, when cracking nuts with a stone, can get a pinch, but they never use this pinch for their own purposes.”
In the 19th century, people were transfused with the blood of bonobo chimpanzees (Pan paniscus) without prior preparation - this was quite possible from a medical point of view, since our blood types are the same.
There have been several attempts to teach sign language to apes. Successful experiments are again associated with chimpanzees: Washoe was the first to be trained - she learned 350 signs from Amslen - American Sign Language. One of the most notorious was the Nim project - the chimpanzee got its name as a pun on the name of Noam Chomsky, an outstanding linguist who argued that language is unique to humans. However, here the opinions of scientists differ. Animal psychologist Herbert Terres, who raised Nim, claimed that at various points in his training his vocabulary reached a thousand words. Other researchers have talked about 125 words. Critics pointed to the obvious inability of monkeys to remember words and construct sentences, lagging behind human children, who by the age of five already know up to two thousand symbols.
And yet, the number of identical characteristics inherent in both humans and our parallel branch, the apes, is quite large: facial expressions, social behavior, binocular vision, color discrimination, body structure, the ability to maintain it in an upright position, and others. Therefore, some paleoanthropologists have long been talking about the expansion of the genus Homo.
“This is more of a humanistic act rather than a scientific one,” explains Anatoly Derevyanko. Opponents of this idea quite rightly believe that an abyss separates us humans from great apes. From the point of view of modern opinion, indeed. But seven million years ago we were very They are similar. Nowadays, great apes are being actively destroyed, since they are classified as predators. However, if we equate them with the genus Homo, from the point of view of all international laws, killing them will be prohibited. The extension of human laws to our closest relatives will contribute to their survival in natural conditions. ".