According to the theory of evolution, man descended from apes. DNA comparisons have shown that our closest relatives are two species of chimpanzees. These funny animals appeared on the planet about 55 million years ago. The lineage that led to the emergence of Homo sapiens emerged approximately 6–7 million years ago. But let’s not delve too deeply into the problems of anthropogenesis. Let's get to know these animals better, and our short review presents the unusual and most beautiful species of monkeys on the planet.
The most beautiful monkeys:
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Types and description
First, let's look at several species of amazing primates that live on our planet.
1
White-breasted Capuchin
Due to their characteristic coat color, they are also called Steller's capuchins. In the scientific classification, it is Cebus capucinus, which means common capuchin.
These funny monkeys live in the forests of Central America. Over time, they moved to the north of the Latin American continent. Their fur is dark, but their chest and shoulders are white.
They lead a diurnal lifestyle, spending most of their time in trees. They prefer to stay in groups of 40–50 individuals. These are omnivores. It is divided into subspecies, depending on the area of residence.
2
Pygmy marmoset
Adults do not grow more than 15 cm, and their tail is 5 centimeters longer than the body. According to most-beauty, this is one of the funniest species, as well as the smallest in the primate family.
The golden-colored fur is evenly distributed throughout the body. Only on the head there is a peculiar hairstyle. These cute creatures live in the tropical forests of the Amazon basin.
They live in trees. Very mobile. Social animal. They live in clan groups in which several generations can be traced. They love the sap of tropical trees. They gnaw through the bark to get their favorite treat.
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Crybaby
In the photo there is a crybaby capuchin. It received its specific name because of its ability to make long, loud sounds reminiscent of crying. A rare species listed in the Red Book.
They settled in dry and wet forests growing north of the Amazon. They easily got comfortable in lowlands and mountainous areas. Some groups live at an altitude of 2,500 m above sea level. Considering the appearance, we note that this is a small monkey. Body length no more than 38 cm.
The tail, like the limbs, is used for capturing food and also for locomotion in trees. A polygamous animal living in groups of 30–40 individuals.
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Crested tamarin
The unusual monkey has several species names. In scientific qualifications they are called Oedipus tamarin, and also Oedipus marmoset. There is another name - Pinche.
The body size does not exceed 26 cm, and long white hair hangs from the head. The body color itself is brown. The tips of the paws and belly are snow-white. The tail is red at the base and completely black at the tip.
They live in Colombia on the Caribbean coast. They spend most of their lives in trees. The male takes care of the offspring. He carries the cubs on his back and brings them to the mother to feed.
5
Snub-nosed golden monkeys
The Chinese monkeys received their species name Roxelana rhinopithecus in honor of Roxelana, the wife of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
It differs from its fellows in its bright golden color. The face has a bluish tint, but the nose is snub-nosed. They live in subtropical regions. But they are also found in mountainous areas. For this, the Chinese often call them “snow monkeys.” In summer they rise higher in the mountains, and in winter they descend to the lowlands.
They live in trees, and in moments of danger they climb to the tops and scream loudly. A rare species, endangered.
Features of character and lifestyle
Photo: Little marmosets
Marmosets spend all their time on the crowns of trees, jumping between branches in height and length up to 2-3 meters. During the day, these animals feed and engage in grooming - combing insects and parasites out of each other's fur.
At night, a group of marmosets, of which there may be about 20 individuals, climbs into a hollow or crevice in an old tree, where they spend the night. These monkeys raise their cubs as a whole family, where there are no other people's children - any monkey can raise any cub.
The cries of marmosets are loud and quite frequent - they are not afraid to attract the attention of predators. The conversations of monkeys among themselves are similar to loud chirping, chatting and chirping. When in danger, monkeys raise a loud squeal, notifying all relatives of approaching predators. In total there are at least ten signals that marmosets use for negotiations.
Marmosets are not territorial animals. They calmly move around the entire perimeter of the tropical forests, and sometimes seven can meet each other. In this case, the monkeys ignore each other and calmly feed nearby. In the wild, monkeys live for about 10-15 years, and with good care at home they can live up to 22 years.
Marmosets are extremely non-conflict creatures: they are sociable towards people, willingly make contact, and in case of danger they never use their sharp incisors, but flee.
Types of pets
Now let's look at the species that can be kept in an apartment or country house. These are usually small animals that do not take up much space. But no matter the size of a pet monkey, it also requires attention and care.
By the way, on our website most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article about the TOP 10 most expensive pets in the world.
12
Cynomolgus macaques
They spread widely across the islands of the Malay Archipelago, in India and along the Indochina Peninsula. They prefer tropical and mangrove forests. They violated the Wallace Line, which separates the Australian and Asian fauna.
Often settles near human habitation. These animals of the monkey family are excellent swimmers. They are omnivores. They eat fruits, snails, insects, and catch crustaceans from the water.
Their second name is cynomolgus macaque. Although crabs are not the main component of their diet. In 2022, a successful experiment was carried out to clone two individuals of this species.
13
Wistity
The world is better known as the common marmoset. Very small monkeys, not growing more than 18 cm. Females are slightly larger than males.
The weight of adult marmosets is 230–250 grams. They live in the eastern regions of Brazil. Stay in families of up to 15 individuals. It feeds on plant foods, but also happily hunts insects, snails, frogs, and small lizards.
Cubs are born weighing only 25 grams. In 2014, geneticists managed to decipher the genome of this species. This made it possible to trace the history of their development and identify related species.
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Capuchins
Due to their small size and playfulness, they often become favorites of adults and children. They easily adapt to life in captivity.
But we must remember that this is still an animal, not a child. A special composition and nutritional standards are required. Walks in the open air. Inclusion in the diet of foods containing components necessary for development.
The genus includes more than 30 species, and each has its own conditions of detention and care in captivity.
More photos of beautiful monkeys:
While preparing this article, we found a huge number of photographs of beautiful monkeys, which we hasten to share with you.
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Magot
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Mandrill
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Swimming macaques
Of course, this is not a separate species of monkey. We just wanted to share with you photos of macaques swimming.
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Orangutan
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Saymiri
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Baboon
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Proboscis
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How much does a pet monkey cost in Russia?
The choice of a pet for keeping, first of all, depends on the financial capabilities of the potential buyer. This animal is expensive in all respects, therefore, care is not cheap. Weigh this argument carefully. And if there are not enough funds, then there is no point in choosing an exotic animal.
So how much does a small pet cost? The price range is quite high - from 1 thousand dollars. The marmoset will cost from 1.5 to 1.8 thousand dollars. And certain types of monkeys are valued at up to 8 thousand dollars.
A monkey can be a carrier of dangerous diseases, therefore, you should take care of a certificate from a veterinarian. We advise you not to be fooled by the low cost and tempting offer. Do not purchase a primate from a dubious seller. Read the reviews first. The monkey should have a well-groomed, healthy appearance, without a hint of aggression.
It is advisable to purchase a baby monkey - this makes it easier to tame. Having purchased an adult, you need to be prepared that the pet is accustomed to the previous conditions of the owner. And the latter was the leader for him. It is important to take into account that the monkey is a very sociable creature, so if you are a reserved person or are busy at work all day, you should refuse to keep an animal.
Some species of monkeys have a lifespan of 40 years. Therefore, you need to consider whether you can provide quality care to your pet for many years.
In cinema
Monkeys often become heroes of feature films and TV series. Let's turn to the history of cinema to remember the films where our closest relatives starred.
King Kong
The most famous movie monkey. The first film about the monster was made in 1933. The latest film adaptation of King Kong. Skull Island" appeared in 2007. The prototype for creating the image was a large gorilla.
The animal, despite its gigantic size, is endowed with human qualities. He can empathize and falls in love with a beautiful girl.
Mr Nielsen
In the story “Pippi Longstocking” by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, a nimble and funny monkey sits on the shoulder of the main character.
During the film adaptation of the story, the little monkey became one of the main characters in the children's film.
Renato
Mowgli was raised by wolves, but the hero of the Italian comedy grew up among monkeys. He understands the language of animals and has difficulty getting used to life among people.
His best friend is a chimpanzee named Renato. The smart animal helps the hero Adriano Celentano adapt to the urban jungle and even decides to escape with him to Africa.
Hero of the Striped Flight
Another chimpanzee, which causes all the commotion on the Soviet cargo ship. He didn’t have a nickname, but the sailors and captain remembered his tricks for a long time.
And she got on the ship as a gift from an African company. On the ship, she released lions and tigers from their cages, making life difficult for the crew.
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What does a marmoset eat?
Photo: Marmosets
Marmosets are primarily herbivorous monkeys. But they can make up for the lack of protein with animal food. The difficulty is that a monkey that wants to snack on some small animal risks becoming its food itself.
The diet of marmosets often includes:
- berries;
- fruits;
- plant flowers, including pollen, which they love for its sweet taste;
- young shoots, green leaves;
- wood beetle larvae;
- moths, crickets, other small insects;
- amphibian fry.
Marmosets have a great need for water because, for their small size, they are very energetic and are always on the move. To avoid going down to streams and other land-based sources of water, monkeys drink dew and water that accumulates in tree leaves after rains.
Marmosets have strong incisors - these are their only two teeth. Thanks to them, they can bite through the upper layers of young bark, extracting nutritious tree sap. Their small paws allow them to easily remove worms from crevices in old tree trunks.
In terms of nutrition, marmosets have no competitors in the form of other monkeys; they are very small and light, which allows them to easily climb to the very tops of trees and feed on fresh fruits, where heavier monkeys cannot climb.
Now you know what to feed the little marmoset monkey. Let's see how she lives in the wild.
Bottom line
So we found out what types of monkeys there are on the planet. Whether they are beautiful or not is up to our reader to decide. But, observing monkeys, you can see that we have a lot in common with these creatures.
This concludes our article. The editors of most-beauty.ru hope that we were able to please you with photographs and descriptions of some primates. We are waiting for your comments. Write what other beautiful species of monkeys should be on this list. We will be happy to add them.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Baby marmosets
The marmoset family includes females and males of all ages. Monkeys do not have a clear hierarchy, they do not fight for position in the pack, unlike the same baboons, but marmosets have a clearly defined leader who fertilizes most of the females in the family.
The male reaches sexual maturity at 3 years, the female at 2 years. The female chooses her own male, but most often her choice falls on the potential leader - the largest and hardiest male. Since marmosets live in warm climates, they do not have a mating season or mating displays.
Interesting fact: Sometimes a female can choose a male from another family, but give birth in her own family. Such cases are very special, and this provides genetic diversity to monkeys.
Pregnancy lasts about five months, as a result of which the monkey gives birth to one or two cubs weighing no more than 15 grams. Children cling tightly to their mother's fur with their claws and travel with her on her stomach, feeding on her milk, and then on her back, picking off young shoots and soft leaves.
Children are raised collectively. Both males and females treat the young generation with care, carry them on themselves, and comb their fur. The main male of the flock is mainly busy searching for suitable places for feeding and looking out for possible danger.
At three months, children move independently, and by six months they can eat the same food as adults. Monkeys go through puberty; Just like in humans, female marmosets begin to mature earlier - at the age of one year, while males - at one and a half years. During this period, marmosets may mate, but not produce offspring.
