When moving through trees, monkeys run along branches, whereas apes swing from branch to branch using their arms (this is called brachiating). Monkeys tend to have similar skeletal structures like that of smaller, four-legged mammals, such as cats and dogs. Apes also tend to live longer than monkeys. Apes tend to be larger than monkeys and usually have larger brains. Apes do not have tails, while most monkey species do. The quickest and easiest way to tell monkeys and apes apart is by looking for a tail. Most of the differences can be described in terms of physical characteristics and evolutionary development over time. Given that lemurs and humans are both primates, for example, you can see that there are significant differences between the many different types of primates. Except for humans, most primates are agile tree-dwellers. Primates are distinguished by having hands, handlike feet, and forward-facing eyes. There are more than 300 species of primates on Earth, including human beings and other apes, monkeys, and prosimians, such as lemurs. There are definite differences between the two, though.īefore looking at differences, it's important to know that apes and monkeys are both primates. In fact, many people today will refer to apes as monkeys and vice versa. Who were these creatures eating bananas? Were they monkeys? Could they have been apes? Or were they both? Exactly what is the difference between apes and monkeys anyway?įor much of history, people have used the terms "monkey" and "ape" interchangeably. We tried to get a closer look at them, but we slipped on a banana peel and…well…we don't remember much after that! Monkey: No way! You know I go ape for bananas!Īpe: Here's the last one. Humans and extinct hominids are also characterized by large brains and advanced reasoning capabilities.We were wandering through the heart of the Wonderopolis jungle the other day when we overheard an interesting conversation between a couple of hairy creatures:Īpe: Don't you think you've had enough already? This allowed them to carry and use tools while walking, which played a significant role in the development of civilization. Switching from quadrupedal walking to bipedal walking was a crucial development in man's evolution because it freed up our ancestors' hands. While apes predominantly use all four limbs to move along the ground, hominids have developed upright bipedal walking - that is, they walk erect, using only their hind limbs. Hominids are distinguished from apes mainly by mode of locomotion. Apes have even invented their own words in these languages, demonstrating higher cognitive ability. Scientists have taught apes of all three species to use sign language, as well as special computer keyboards. Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans exhibit extensive language capability as well, though they do not have the necessary physiological adaptations to produce speech. Different chimpanzee social groups develop their own unique tendencies and behaviors, which may be in stark contrast to the behaviors of another group. Chimpanzees, humans' closest living relatives, use simple tools extensively and even have culture to some degree. They have the same basic body structure, possess a high level of intelligence and may exhibit similar behavior. The apes, which include gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and gibbons, are much more like human beings than monkeys or lower primates are. © Photographer: Marcus Horn | Agency: Dreamstime Next, we'll explore how scientists classify apes. On the evolutionary line leading to humans, monkeys split off long before apes did. Their skeletal structure is similar to a cat, dog or other four-footed animal, and they move in the same sort of way. Instead, monkeys run along the tops of branches. For example, most monkeys cannot swing from branch to branch, as apes and humans can, because their shoulder bones have a different structure. Monkeys are much more like other mammals than apes and humans are. Most monkey species have tails, but no apes or hominids do. The easiest way to distinguish monkeys from the other anthropoids is to look for a tail. Within the suborder of anthropoids, primates are grouped into monkeys, apes and hominids. Anthropoids vary considerably in size, geographical range and behavior, but they all have flat faces, small ears and relatively large, complex brains. Anthropoids, commonly called the "higher primates," comprise the rest of the species in the primate order. The prosimians split off from the evolutionary line leading to humans relatively early. They exhibit lower intelligence and they more closely resemble other mammal groups (they typically have whiskers and extended snouts, for example). The prosimians, made up of lemurs and similar animals, are the more primitive group. The 235 modern primate species are divided up into two suborders - the prosimians and the anthropoids.
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