A baby red-tailed monkey was born to mother, Nonami, at the Oakland Zoo in February. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
Oakland Zoo in California welcomed a baby guenon red-tailed monkey in February! Born to mother, Nonami, and father, Marley, the male baby guenon is currently thriving under his mother’s care.
His birth marked a milestone at the zoo: the very first guenon monkey birth at Oakland Zoo!
The newborn, a male, is currently thriving under the care of his mother, as well as his sister, Ikea. Photo by Oakland Zoo.
Nonami has also successfully given birth at her previous zoo to two females who now live at Oakland Zoo: Ikea and Skittles.
Nonami and her new baby have joined the rest of the troop in their habitat, and the baby’s sister, Ikea, has shown strong interest in her brother and wants to help Mom with grooming while Nonami supervises.
Photo by Oakland Zoo.
In the wild, red-tailed monkeys live in central Africa. They are very social and live in troops of 7-30 members.
Monkeys and apes share many similarities. They are both primates, which are characterized as social animals with large brains and hands that can grasp.
But what’s the difference between a monkey and an ape? How can you tell them apart?
Tails
The easiest way to tell if it’s a monkey or an ape is by the presence of a tail. Monkeys have tails. Apes do not. So if you see a tail, it’s not an ape.
Example: Look at the glorious tails on these guereza colobuses. Ape? No. Monkey? Yes!
These colobuses have long bushy white tails. Photo by pilesasmiles / iStock.com.
See the long tail on this squirrel monkey as it leaps? Ape? No. Monkey? Yes!
This squirrel monkey has a long tail. Photo by miroslav_1 / iStock.com.
Now look at the tail-less butt of this mountain gorilla. Ape? Yes.
No tail on this silverback mountain gorilla. Photo by VV-pics / iStock.com.
But wait! Some monkeys have teeny tiny stubs of tails that you can’t see.
Look at the butts of these Japanese macaques. Tail? Doesn’t look like it. But is it a monkey? Yes!
Can’t see a tail on this Japanese macaque, but it is a monkey. Photo by Denise Johnson / iStock.com.
So in certain cases where you can’t see a tail, it may be tricky to tell if it’s a monkey or an ape. But there are other distinguishing factors as well.
Size
Apes are generally larger than monkeys and have broader chests.
Bornean orangutan. Photo by Cede Prudente / iStock.com.
Location
Apes live in Africa and Asia. Monkeys live in Africa and Asia too, but they also live in Mexico, Central America and South America. No apes live in the Americas.
Example: This spider monkey is native to Central America and South America. Monkey? Yes.
Colombian spider monkey. Photo by Willy Mobilo / iStock.com.
Intelligence
Both monkeys and apes are intelligent, but apes have a larger brain-to-body ratio and have even greater intelligence. In fact, some apes can even communicate in human sign language!
Example: Apes, like this chimpanzee, are very sophisticated tool users, which is a sign of high intelligence. But it should be noted that there are also a few monkeys who use tools as well.
This chimp is using tools to get fruit out of a box. Photo by Vincent_St_Thomas / iStock.com.
Memorize the Different Kinds of Apes
If all else fails, you could actually just memorize the different kinds of apes because there aren’t that many.
The different kinds of apes are:
Humans
Bonobos / Chimpanzees
Orangutans
Gorillas
Gibbons
So then if it’s an animal within that group, you know it’s an ape!
Baby squirrel monkeys at the San Diego Zoo. Photo credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Lots of monkeying around happening at the San Diego Zoo these days! The zoo is celebrating the birth of four baby monkeys: two squirrel monkeys – one born Nov. 27 and one born Nov. 28, a Schmidt’ red-tailed monkey born Nov. 11, and a DeBrazza’s monkey born Oct. 28.
The babies and mamas are doing well, and guests to the zoo can now view them in their habitats.
Elke, a baby Francois Langur monkey, was born last Thursday at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Her mother, Saigon, has not accepted the baby, so Elke will be hand-raised by keepers to insure her survival.
Francois Langurs are endangered in their native Asian habitat due to habitat loss and hunting.
