Primate and New World Monkeys Essay Example

the Primate classification.

Note that the smallest grouping that contains them all is the Simiiformes, the simians, which also contains the apes. Calling apes "monkeys" is incorrect. Calling either a simian is correct.

ORDER PRIMATES o Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians o Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes + Infraorder Tarsiiformes # Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers + Infraorder Simiiformes: simians Parvorder Platyrrhini: New World monkeys

• Family Cebidae: marmosets, tamarins, capuchins and squirrel monkeys (56 species)
• Family Aotidae: night monkeys, owl monkeys, douroucoulis (8 species) * Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris (41 species)
• Family Atelidae: howler, spider and woolly monkeys (24 species) # Parvorder Catarrhini
• Superfamily Cercopithecoidea o Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys (135 species)
• Superfamily Hominoidea: apes Family Hylobatidae: gibbons ("lesser apes") (13 species) o
• Family Hominidae: great apes including humans (7 species) Relationship with humans The many species of monkey have varied relationships with humans.

Some are kept as pets, others used as model organisms in laboratories or in space missions. They may be killed in monkey drives when they threatened agriculture, or serve as service animals for the disabled. In religion and culture, the monkey often represents quick-wittedness and mischief. As service animals for the disabledSome organizations such as Helping Hands have been training capuchin monkeys as monkey helpers to assist quadriplegics and other people with severe spinal cord injuries or mobility impairments. After being socialized in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with a quadriplegic. Around the house, the monkeys help out by doing tasks including microwaving food, washing the quadriplegic's face, and opening drink bottles.

In experiments Covance primate-testing lab, Vienna, Virginia, 2004-5. Covance primate-testing lab, Vienna, Virginia, 2004-5.

[1]Macaques, especially the Rhesus Macaque, and African green monkeys are widely used in animal testing facilities, either wild-caught or purpose-bred. They are used primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to apes), and their psychological and physical similarity to humans. In the United States, around 50,000 non-human primates, most of them monkeys, have been used in experiments every year since 1973; 10,000 monkeys were used in the European Union in 2004.

Sam, a rhesus macaque, was flown to a height of 55 miles (89 km) by NASA in 1959.Sam, a rhesus macaque, was flown to a height of 55 miles (89 km) by NASA in 1959. The use of monkeys in laboratories is controversial. Some claim that their use is cruel and produces little information of value, and there have been many protests, vandalism to testing facilities, and threats to workers.

Others claim that it has led to many important medical breakthroughs such as the rabies vaccine, understanding of human reproduction and basic knowledge about brain function, and that the prevention of harm to humans should be a higher priority than the possible harm done to monkeys.The topic has become a popular cause for animal rights and animal welfare groups. In space A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V2 rocket in June 14, 1949.

As food There are a lot of myths about Chinese habits which are mostly contrived, such as the stories about eating monkeys brains. In traditional Islamic dietary laws, monkeys are forbidden

to be eaten. However, monkeys are sometimes eaten in parts of Africa, where they can be sold as "bushmeat". 5] Literature Sun Wukong (the "Monkey King"), a character who figures prominently in Chinese mythology, is the main protagonist in the classic comic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The television series Monkey, the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples.

Simian statue at a Buddhist shrine in Tokyo, Japan. Simian statue at a Buddhist shrine in Tokyo, Japan. However, pop culture often incorrectly labels apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas, as monkeys.Terry Pratchett makes use of the distinction in his Discworld novels, in which the Librarian of the Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey. Religion and worship Hanuman, a prominent divine entity in Hinduism, is a monkey-like humanoid.

External links Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: monkeys Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Monkey * "The Impossible Housing and Handling Conditions of Monkeys in Research Laboratories", by Viktor Reinhardt, International Primate Protection League, August 2001 * Inside the monkey house[dead link]at Covance, shot undercover by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection * The Problem with Pet Monkeys: Reasons Monkeys Do Not Make Good Pets, an article by veterinarian Lianne McLeod on About. om * Helping Hands: Monkey helpers for the disabled, a U. S. national non-profit organization based in Boston Massachusetts that places specially trained capuchin monkeys with people who are paralyzed or who live with other severe mobility impairments