Monkeys in the context of "Catarrhini"

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⭐ Core Definition: Monkeys

Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, constitute an incomplete paraphyletic grouping; alternatively, if apes (Hominoidea) are included, monkeys and simians are synonyms.

In 1812, Étienne Geoffroy grouped the apes and the Cercopithecidae group of monkeys together and established the name Catarrhini, "Old World monkeys" ("singes de l'Ancien Monde" in French). The extant sister of the Catarrhini in the monkey ("singes") group is the Platyrrhini (New World monkeys). Some nine million years before the divergence between the Cercopithecidae and the apes, the Platyrrhini emerged within "monkeys" by migration to South America likely by ocean. Apes are thus deep in the tree of extant and extinct monkeys, and any of the apes is distinctly closer related to the Cercopithecidae than the Platyrrhini are.

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Monkeys in the context of Tool use by non-humans

Tool use by non-humans is a phenomenon in which a non-human animal uses any kind of tool in order to achieve a goal such as acquiring food and water, grooming, combat, defence, communication, recreation or construction. Originally thought to be a skill possessed only by humans, some tool use requires a sophisticated level of cognition. There is considerable discussion about the definition of what constitutes a tool and therefore which behaviours can be considered true examples of tool use. A wide range of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, cephalopods, and insects, are considered to use tools.

Primates are well known for using tools for hunting or gathering food and water, cover for rain, and self-defence. Chimpanzees have often been the object of study in regard to their usage of tools, most famously by Jane Goodall, since these animals are frequently kept in captivity and are closely related to humans. Wild tool use in other primates, especially among apes and monkeys, is considered relatively common, though its full extent remains poorly documented, as many primates in the wild are mainly only observed distantly or briefly when in their natural environments and living without human influence. Some novel tool-use by primates may arise in a localised or isolated manner within certain unique primate cultures, being transmitted and practised among socially connected primates through cultural learning. Many famous researchers, such as Charles Darwin in his 1871 book The Descent of Man, have mentioned tool use in monkeys (such as baboons).

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Monkeys in the context of Boreoeutheria

Boreoeutheria (/bˌrjˈθɛriə/) is a magnorder of placental mammals that groups together superorders Euarchontoglires and Laurasiatheria. The clade includes groups as diverse as giraffes, pigs, zebras, rhinoceroses, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, bats, whales, dolphins, and primates (monkeys, apes, and humans).

With a few exceptions, male boreoeutherians have a scrotum, an ancestral feature of the clade. The sub-clade Scrotifera was named after this feature.

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Monkeys in the context of Monkey breeding

Monkey breeding is the practice of mating monkeys in captivity with the intent to maintain or produce young. Monkeys reproduce without human interference, so their offsprings' characteristics are determined by natural selection. Captive bred monkeys may be intentionally bred by their owners. A person who intentionally mates monkeys to produce babies is referred to as a monkey breeder.

Breeding outside of zoos is typically done for commercial gain.

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