Monkeys are very special creatures. They are considered one of the most developed representatives of the animal world. Of course, not all monkeys are the same, among them there are many primitive small creatures who strive to do some dirty trick. But with humanoid species, things are completely different.
Since ancient times, people have been fascinated and interested in the intelligence of monkeys. But not only this became the subject of study, but also the figment of the fantasies of some science fiction writers. The size. Who does not know the huge King Kong, king of the jungle?
But there is no need to turn to cinema and literature, because nature is full of its giants. Although they may not be as impressive as King Kong (you still need to feed them all in nature), but in our ranking there was a place for the ten largest monkey breeds in the world.
10. Eastern Hulok
Growth - 60-80 cm weight - 6-9 kg.
Previously, this cute monkey with eternally surprised white eyebrows belonged to gibbons, but in 2005, after molecular studies, it was distinguished into two species: western and eastern hulok. And the eastern one just belongs to the largest primates.
Males are larger and black, females are black-brown and instead of white arcs they have light rings around their eyes, like a mask. Hulk lives in southern China, Myanmar and the extreme east of India.
Lives mainly in tropical, sometimes broad-leaved forests. He prefers to occupy the upper tiers, does not like water and eats fruit. Hulok forms a very strong couple with its female, and the cubs are born white, and only with time their fur turns black.
9. Japanese macaque
Growth - 80-95 cm weight - 12-14 kg.
Japanese macaque They live on the island of Yakushima and have a number of characteristic features, so they are distinguished in a separate form. They are distinguished by shorter hair, as well as cultural behavior.
Macaques live in groups of 10 to 100 individuals, both males and females enter the flock. The habitat of these monkeys is the most northern of all, they live both in subtropical and mixed forests and even in the mountains.
In the north, where temperatures drop below zero, Japanese macaques rescue themselves in hot springs. These same sources can become a real trap: when they get out, the monkeys freeze even more. Therefore, they have established a system for supplying group mates with “dry” macaques, while the rest bask in the sources.
8. Bonobo
Growth - 110-120 cm, weight - 40-61 kg.
Bonobo also called dwarf chimpanzee, in fact, they belong to the same genus and have been allocated relatively recently to a separate species. Bonobos are not inferior in growth to their closest relatives, but they are less sinewy and broad-shouldered. They have small ears, a high forehead and hair, divided into a parting.
Bonobos gained their popularity due to unusual behavior for the animal kingdom. They are known as the most loving primates. They solve conflicts, avoid them, make peace, express emotions, experience joy and anxiety, they are often one way: mating. However, this has little effect on population growth.
Unlike chimpanzees, bonobos are not so aggressive, they do not accept joint hunting, males are tolerant of young and teenagers, and the female is at the head of the pack.
7. Common Chimpanzee
Growth - 130-160 cm, weight - 40-80 kg.
Chimpanzee live in Africa, in rainforests and wet savannahs. Their body is covered with dark brown hair, the face, fingers and soles of the feet remain hairless.
Chimpanzees live for a long time, up to 50-60 years old, they feed the cubs up to three years, and they remain with their mother for some time. Chimpanzees are omnivorous primates, but prefer fruits, leaves, nuts, insects, and small invertebrates. They move both on trees and on the ground, rely mainly on four limbs, but can walk for short distances on two legs.
At night, they build nests on trees in which they spend the night, each time a new one. They learn this skill from the older generation in order to avoid danger, and in captivity chimpanzees almost never build nests.
The basis of their communication is a variety of sounds, gestures, facial expressions, emotions are of great importance, their interaction is versatile and quite complex.
6. Kalimantan orangutan
Growth - 100-150 cm weight - 40-90 kg.
Kalimantan Orangunan - A large ape-like monkey, covered with thick red-brown hair. It lives on the island of Kalimantan, the third largest in the world. It prefers moist tropical forests, but can live among palm trees. They feed mainly on fruits and plants, but can eat both eggs and insects.
These orangutans are considered long-livers among primates, there are cases when the age of individual individuals exceeded 60 years. Unlike chimpanzees, orangutans are not so aggressive; they lend themselves well to training. Therefore, their cubs are the object of hunting poachers, and the Kalimantan orangutan is on the verge of extinction.
5. Bornean orangutan
Growth - 100-150 cm weight - 50-100 kg.
The Bornean orangutan lives on the island of Borneo and spends his whole life in the branches of local tropical forests. He practically does not descend to the ground, even to a watering place. He has an outstanding forward muzzle, long arms and coat, which grows so old that it resembles fallen dreadlocks.
The males have pronounced occipital and sagittal crests, fleshy growths on the face. The orangunan eats mainly plant foods, ripe fruits, bark and leaves of trees, honey. A distinctive feature of these animals is a solitary lifestyle, which is not typical for primates. Only females during the period of feeding the cubs can be in the group.
4. Sumatran Orangutan
Growth - 100-150 cm weight - 50-100 kg.
Sumatran Orangunan - The third species of one of the largest monkeys on the planet. Representatives of this species are thinner and taller than their relatives from the island of Borneo. However, they also have very strong limbs and well-developed muscles. They have mostly short red-brown hair, long on the shoulders. The legs are short, but a large range of arms, up to 3 m.
Like all representatives of the genus, orangutans from Sumatran spend most of their lives in trees. They feed on fruits, honey, bird eggs, and sometimes chicks and insects. They drink from the hollows of trees, from wide leaves, even lick their own wool, because they are panicky afraid of water, and if they find themselves in a pond, they will immediately drown.
3. Mountain gorilla
Growth - 100-150 cm weight - up to 180 kg.
Open the top three, of course, representatives of the gorilla clan - mountain gorillas. They live in a relatively small area of the Great Rift Valley in Central Africa, at an altitude of 2-4.3 thousand meters above sea level.
Mountain gorillas have almost 30 differences from other species, but the most obvious are thicker coat, powerful occipital crests, where the masticatory muscles are attached. Their color is black, they have brown eyes with a black frame of the iris.
They live mainly on the ground, moving on four powerful legs, but are able to climb trees, especially adolescents. They feed on plant foods, with most of the diet being leaves, bark, and herbs. An adult male is able to eat 30 kg of vegetation per day, while the appetite of females is more modest - up to 20 kg.
2. Plain Gorilla
Growth - 150-180 cm, weight - 70-140 kg.
This is a fairly common type of gorilla that lives in Angola, Cameroon, Congo and some other countries. Lives in mountain forests, sometimes in marshy areas.
It is the representatives of this species that in most cases live in zoos, and the only known albino gorilla also belongs to the plains.
Gorillas are not jealous of the boundaries of their territories, often intersected by communities. Their group consists of a male and females with their cubs, sometimes non-dominant males join them. Number lowland gorillas estimated at around 200 thousand individuals.
1. Coastal Gorilla
Growth - 150-180 cm, weight - 90-180 kg.
Coastal gorilla lives in equatorial Africa, settles in mangrove, mountain, some tropical forests. This is the largest monkey in the world, the weight of the male can reach 180 kg, and the female does not exceed 100 kg. They have brown-black hair with a red fringe on the forehead, which is quite noticeable in males. They also have a silver-gray stripe on their backs.
Gorillas have large teeth and powerful jaws, because they have to grind a lot of plant food to support such a large body.
Gorillas prefer to be on the ground, but since in some areas of Africa there are many fruit trees, monkeys can spend long periods of time on branches, eating fruits. Gorillas live on average 30-35 years, in captivity their age reaches 50 years.