![]() Old World monkeys are found in Africa and Asia, while New World monkeys are in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. ![]() Others, though, have expressed frustration over the supposed lack or inadequacy of scientific education that is at the core of this common misunderstanding. Naming conventions, some of which were developed before the theory of evolution was widespread, have changed over time in response to new evidence and have sometimes caused further confusion as the general public's understanding has lagged behind the scientific community's.ĭue to the complex nature of classification, some scientists and educators have supported the near-interchangeable usage of "ape" and "monkey" that is already common. For this reason, the Barbary macaque is sometimes erroneously called the Barbary ape, even though it's a monkey. The Barbary macaque is a hook-nosed Old World monkey, which means that it is more closely related to Great Apes and Lesser Apes than it is to flat-nosed New World monkeys it's hard to tell whether it's an ape or monkey. Many have pointed to the Barbary macaque as an example of a tailless monkey, which is somewhat true, but it's also more complicated than that. Sometimes understanding this ordering can be difficult because the visual shorthand for differentiating between apes and monkeys-that monkeys have tails, while apes do not-can seem overly simplistic. ![]() Old World monkeys are further differentiated from Great Apes and Lesser Apes by superfamilies: Cercopithecoidea for Old World monkeys and Hominoidea for Great Apes and Lesser Apes.Ī small evolutionary tree showing the relationships between monkeys and apes. New World monkeys belong to a group, or parvorder, known as Platyrrhini (meaning flat-nosed), while Old World monkeys and apes belong to a parvorder known as Catarrhini (meaning hook-nosed). However, Old World monkeys, apes, and New World monkeys' development, and therefore their scientific classification, branches off separately after a certain point in the evolutionary tree. If you go back millions and millions of years into the past, Great Apes (which humans fall under) and Lesser Apes, Old World (Africa- and Asia-based) monkeys, and New World (Americas-based) monkeys all share common ancestors. ![]() To understand the scientific differences between an ape and a monkey, you have to look at the way they are scientifically classified. Even past versions of academic resources, like the 1910 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, have indicated that "ape" and "monkey" are synonymous. Historically, there has been debate in and out of science over what qualifies as an "ape" and what qualifies as a "monkey." The two words have different language origins, but they have often been used interchangeably in translations and popular culture. Generally not, but capuchin monkeys have been known to use stone tools. Fruits, plants, insects, small invertebrates.Ĭan make and use tools for nut-cracking, hunting, and play. Fruits, plants, insects, small mammals (including monkeys). Uses tail as "fifth limb" to help grasp limbs in trees. Long arms that are optimal for swinging from branch to branch. Great Apes and Lesser Apes only in or near tropical rainforests.Īfrica, Asia, and Central and South America. Life lived at least sometimes on the ground. Hylobatidae (i.e., Lesser Apes like gibbons) and Hominidae (i.e., Great Apes, including humans)Ĭallitrichidae (e.g., marmosets) and Cebidae (e.g., squirrel monkeys)Īround 23 between Lesser Apes and Great Apes.Īfrica and Southern Asia. New-world monkeys: Platyrrhini (flat-nosed) Old-world monkeys: CatarrhiniĬercopithecoidea (Old World monkeys like baboons and macaques) and Hominoidea (Great Apes and Lesser Apes) Differences - Similarities - Ape versus Monkey comparison chart
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