Monkeys, or primates, are four-armed mammals, similar in body structure to humans. These animals live mainly in tropical and subtropical forests with warm and humid climates.
The habitat of different types of monkeys
Monkeys are called four-armed mammals for a reason. Most of the representatives of this species live in the crowns of trees, dexterously moving from branch to branch. In the dense equatorial forests, there are primates who never descend to the ground. For example, the royal Guerets, who live in Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, spend their entire life in the crowns of trees. They are excellent jumpers and cover great distances by jumping from branch to branch.
Large and medium-sized monkeys are more likely to descend from trees to the ground. Some, such as baboons, live exclusively on the ground, completely ignoring trees. They gather in large groups and, moving together, are able to withstand even such large predators as leopards and lions.
Most monkeys live in warm climates and do not tolerate cold well. However, some species have adapted to living conditions in the cold. Thus, Japanese macaques live on the northern island of Honshu, where the average winter temperature is -5oC, and the snow cover can lie up to four months a year. The bodies of these animals are covered with thick and long hair, which reliably protects them from cold winds. In addition, snow macaques have learned to take advantage of the geological features of the Japanese islands - they spend most of their time basking in the water of hot springs. Also, sub-zero temperatures are successfully tolerated by some species of monkeys living in the mountains of China and South America.
Monkey habitat
Primates are mainly found in the tropics and subtropics of Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Africa is almost entirely inhabited by various species of monkeys, excluding the Sahara Desert. Among the many primates found on the continent, large apes: chimpanzees and gorillas are of particular interest. On the island of Madagascar, contrary to popular belief, there are no primates. But their more primitive "relatives" - lemurs live here.
In Asia, the monkey range includes the entire Indo-Malay region, most of China, the south of the Korean Peninsula, numerous Indian islands and partly the Japanese islands. Orangutans, large apes, are found in Kalimantan and Sumatra.
In South America, the greatest diversity of primate species is found in the Amazon Basin. Here you can meet the smallest monkeys from the marmoset family. The forests of Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela are also home to howler monkeys, saimiri and various capuchin species.
