Every December 14th is 'Monkey Day,' created back in 2000 by two artists who were students at Michigan State University, USA. This holiday was playfully made for all primates (including apes) excluding humans, and it quickly caught on, becoming popular in several countries. Since 'Monkey Day' is almost over (less than 2 minutes left!), I quickly threw together this post to briefly introduce various primates around the world.
The world's largest living primate - Eastern Gorilla. Males average about 180kg. The big ones easily top 200kg. Standing straight up, they reach 1.7m—the giants of the primate world. As they age, the males' back fur turns gray, which is where the term 'Silverback' comes from. Similarly, the Western Gorilla, another species living in Africa, takes the spot as the #2 primate. As we all know, despite their scary appearance, gorillas are mainly herbivores, though they sometimes snack on insects like ants.
The world's smallest living primate - Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur. It's a type of lemur endemic only to the island of Madagascar in Africa. It weighs a mere 30g on average. They're omnivores, eating insects, fruit, and small vertebrates. The Eastern Gorilla, the biggest primate, weighs about 6,000 times more than this little guy.
The world's largest monkey - Mandrill. This is the biggest species specifically called a 'Monkey' in English, excluding apes and lemurs. The male’s face has incredibly vibrant colors, and we know it well as the face model for Rafiki in <The Lion King>. Males weigh 19–30kg. Similar to gorillas, these guys are often misunderstood based on their looks; despite their fierce teeth, they are omnivores who mainly enjoy plants.
The world's smallest monkey - Pygmy Marmoset. A monkey living in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon basin in South America. It weighs just over 100g, but hey, at least it's three times bigger than the Mouse Lemur mentioned earlier, which is some consolation. Uniquely, they use their teeth to chew holes in rubber trees and drink the sap.
Asia's largest primate - Bornean Orangutan. This orangutan lives on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia and is the biggest of the three orangutan species. Orangutans are the only large great apes living in Asia (besides humans). Males average 75kg, making them the #3 primate after the two gorilla species. The males have large cheek pads (flanges) which are apparently used to attract mates.
The largest primate in the Americas - Yucatan Black Howler Monkey. This is the largest primate and monkey in the New World. It mainly lives on the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America and, true to its name, has a habit of screaming loudly. Males average 11kg, which is somewhat small compared to the biggest Old World monkey species.
Europe's largest primate - Barbary Macaque. Honestly, calling it the "largest" is kinda lame because it's the *only* species of monkey living in Europe. And it's confined to a highly specific area: Gibraltar in Southern Spain. Males average about 15kg. Given that they also live across the sea in North Africa, it seems likely that North Africa is their original habitat and they were artificially introduced to Gibraltar. Soon, the Barbary Macaque will also be the only existing primate in Africa north of the Sahara.
The primate that lives in the widest area (excluding humans) - Rhesus Macaque. Proportionate to their vast habitat, they are likely the most numerous single species of primate (excluding humans). Because their numbers are so high, they also share the unfortunate fate of frequently being used as lab animals. The monkeys featured in Chinese and Indian literature and folklore were likely these guys.
Also, the northernmost living primate - Japanese Macaque. A very close relative of the Rhesus Macaque just mentioned, famous as the 'Hot Spring Monkey.' It's a very familiar monkey to us neighbors. Globally, it’s the primate that lives at the highest latitude and in the coldest climate.
To all you monkeys out there~ Stay healthy!
"We've got people joking about their primate identities, shouting out politicians, and preparing for the next primate holiday (and maybe Saiyan Day too)."
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