Weird Adaptations
Most monkeys have four fingers & a thumb, but the Colobus monkey is unique because it is missing this specific finger.
The thumb
While most monkeys sleep tucked away safely in trees, they have to watch out for this large, silent-flying bird of prey known to scoop monkeys right out of the jungle canopy. What are they called?
Eagles/Hawks
What broad biological order do all monkeys, apes, lemurs, and humans belong?
Primates
To maintain order and stop internal fighting, most monkey troops rely on a strict linear ranking system where every individual knows who is above and below them. What is this system called?
Dominance hierarchy (or pecking order)?
This Monkey is a beloved Children's Show Mascot/Character. He has a friend who loves Yellow and is shown on PBS.
Curious George
The Emperor Tamarin monkey has bright white, shaggy hair growing out of its face that extends past its cheeks, making it look exactly like it has a long, old-fashioned human beard and what?
A Mustache
Monkeys are vital to the health of the rainforest because they eat fruit and pass the undigested pits throughout the jungle in their droppings. What is happening to the seeds?
Seeds are dispersed/moved around
The scientific name for the Japanese macaque is Macaca fuscata. In the system of binomial nomenclature, what taxonomic rank does the word Macaca represent
Genus
When a lower-ranking monkey wants to approach a dominant leader safely, it will often perform an act of social grooming. In biology, what is the specific term for using grooming to negotiate peace or trade favors?
Allogrooming (or social grooming)
In ancient Egypt, certain monkeys were considered sacred symbols of Thoth, the god of wisdom, learning, and writing. Because of this, these monkeys were often kept in temples and were even carefully preserved as mummies when they died. What type of large, red-butted monkey was it?
A Baboon
The De Brazza’s monkey lives in dense African swamps. When it senses danger, it can freeze completely still for up to eight hours, using its unique greenish-grey fur, white brow, and bright white beard to blend in with what?
A tree trunk
Some monkey species can eat leaves that are completely toxic or poisonous to other animals. They can do this because their stomachs have special bacteria to break down the poison, working just like the stomach of what common farm animal?
A Cow
Scientists divide true monkeys into two major infraorders based on their geography and anatomy: Platyrrhini and Catarrhini. What are the common names for these two groups?
New World and Old World monkeys
Vervet monkeys are famous for having a complex communication system. They don't just scream when scared; they use distinct, unique sounds called...
Alarm calls
In 1959, a squirrel monkey named Miss Baker made history by becoming one of the very first living creatures to survive a journey into this extreme environment.
Outer Space!
The Proboscis monkey has a giant, floppy nose that looks pretty silly to us. But for the male monkeys, this big nose has a superpower: it acts like a loudspeaker to do what?
Makes their warning calls louder
In the forests of India, Langur monkeys and wild deer have a famous team-up. The monkeys sit high in the trees, intentionally dropping fresh leaves and fruit down to the forest floor for the deer to eat. In return, the deer use their amazing hearing and smell to sniff out hidden tigers, stomping their hooves to warn the monkeys above.
What is the scientific term for this type of ecosystem relationship where two different species help each other survive?
A Symbiotic relationship (mutualism)
While the general rule is "monkeys have tails and apes do not," the Barbary Macaque, a monkey, breaks the rules by having no visible tail at all. Despite looking like an ape, scientists still classify it as a true Old World monkey because of this hidden skeletal feature.
A vestigial (hidden/internal) tail bone
In olive baboon culture, females stay with their birth troop for life, while males must leave to find a new group when they grow up. What is the scientific term for a society structured around a core group of related females?
(Hint: Think opposite of Paternal/Patriarchal)
Matriarchal/Maternal Lineage
(Matrilineal or matrifocal society)
In 2018, scientists in China successfully used a single cell from a macaque monkey to create two identical, live-born twin monkeys named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. What is the scientific term for this genetic replication process?
Cloning (somatic cell nuclear transfer)
Millions of years ago, New World and Old World monkeys split from a common ancestor and evolved similar traits. What is this evolutionary concept called?
(Hint: The opposite of combination; ____ evolution)
Convergent evolution
When humans cut down lines of trees for roads or power lines, it creates a serious ecological problem for tree-dwelling monkeys. Even though the forest is still there, it is now broken into tiny, separated pieces that monkeys are too afraid to cross on the ground. What is the scientific term for this breaking up of a habitat?
(Hint: Habitat + Breaking up)
Habitat Fragmentation
Despite their names and monkey-like antics, bushbabies, lemurs, and tarsiers are classified in a more primitive suborder separate from true monkeys and apes. What is this group called?
Prosimians (Strepsirrhines)
Rhesus macaques form political alliances within their troops. If Monkey A helps Monkey B win a fight today, Monkey B is highly likely to share food with Monkey A tomorrow. What is this advanced psychological concept called?
Reciprocal altruism (or reciprocity)
If you know your human blood type (like A-positive or O-negative), the "positive" or "negative" part refers to the Rh factor. The "Rh" stands for this specific monkey species where the protein was first discovered.
Rhesus macaque