Is there a
difference between monkeys and apes?
Can you tell the difference between an ape
and a monkey? Many people call all primates monkeys, when in fact apes and
monkeys are two kinds of animals under the classification of primate. They may
look similar, but when you start to learn more about them, it becomes apparent
there are many differences between monkeys and apes. Which animals are monkeys,
and which are apes?
Though ape and monkey are often used
interchangeably in the English language, they are not the same from a
scientific point of view.
Apes and monkeys are primates that have
evolved different physical and mental characteristics throughout time to
respond to different needs and environments. For example, most monkeys have an
easily visible tail, but no apes do, and while monkeys are physically built for
a life in the trees, apes tend to be built for a life lived in the trees and on
the ground.
While apes and
monkeys are both primates, and are part of the same primate suborder, there are
lots of differences between them. There are also lots of other sorts of
primates. The distinction between different primate groups is based on
physical characteristics and evolutionary ancestry.
The order of
primates is characterized by animals with forward-facing eyes and highly
flexible arms, legs and fingers. This body structure evolved as an adaptation
for life in the trees: Primates have flexible limbs and grasping hands so they
can move from branch to branch. The forward-facing eyes are also an adaptation
for life in this environment: They give primates excellent depth perception,
allowing them to accurately judge the distance between trees.
The 235 modern
primate species are divided up into two suborders -- the prosimians and the
anthropoids. The prosimians, made up of lemurs and similar animals, are the
more primitive group. They exhibit lower intelligence and they more closely
resemble other mammal groups (they typically have whiskers and extended snouts,
for example). The prosimians split off from the evolutionary line leading to
humans relatively early. Anthropoids, commonly called the "higher primates,"
comprise the rest of the species in the primate order. Anthropoids vary
considerably in size, geographical range and behavior, but they all have flat
faces, small ears and relatively large, complex brains.
Within the suborder of anthropoids, primates are grouped into monkeys, apes and hominids. The easiest way to distinguish monkeys from the other anthropoids is to look for a tail. Most monkey species have tails, but no apes or hominids do. Monkeys are much more like other mammals than apes and humans are. For example, most monkeys cannot swing from branch to branch, as apes and humans can, because their shoulder bones have a different structure. Instead, monkeys run along the tops of branches. Their skeletal structure is similar to a cat, dog or other four-footed animal, and they move in the same sort of way. On the evolutionary line leading to humans, monkeys split off long before apes did.
Differences and Similarities
Not a monkey OR
an ape: There is one other kind of primate that people may not be aware of.
Prosimians are the most primitive of the primates - sometimes they are referred
to as "pre-monkeys". There name means "before monkeys".
Prosimians
include animals like lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers. They are the ancestors to
monkeys, and apes and live a very different lifestyle.
Nocturnal and
sensitive: In contrast to diurnal (daytime) monkeys and apes, prosimians are
mostly nocturnal... they have large eyes with sensitive nocturnal vision,
complex tactile hairs, large and independently movable ears and a strong sense
of smell.
Specialized and
tropical; They are usually very specialized to their environment and have a
variety of social systems. Like monkeys and apes though, they do have a
developed hand with good control. They are restricted to living only in
tropical woodlands...
Prosimians are
restricted to tropical woodlands. Many surviving species have become nocturnal,
probably because of competition from diurnal monkeys and rodents. Most
prosimians are endangered, some critically so.
Prosimians
have:
A well
developed sense of smell, and a more prominent snout.
Partial
binocular vision (using two eyes together, as apes and monkeys do). Often
nocturnal vision.
Some claws
and developed manual dexterity.
Immobilized
upper lips.
A different
dental formula - 2:1:3:3
Prosimians
only live in the 'Old World '. (area that don't include North and South America): Lemurs live only
on the island of Madagascar, Tarsiers live on the islands of the Philippines,
Borneo, Celebes Islands, and Sumatra, and Lorises live in areas of Africa and
South/Southeast Asia .
- Lar gibbon
- White-headed capuchin
- Orangutan
- Ring-tailed lemur
- Common chimpanzee
- Patas monkey
- Marmoset
- Vervet monkey
- Gorilla
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