Just Monkeying Around Trivia Quiz

Answer: loris

Lorises are slow-moving arboreal primates. They are separated into two genuses, the slender loris (native to India and Sri Lanka) and the slow loris (native to Southeast Asia). Lorises are nocturnal and feed on fruits, leaves, and insects. Lorises have relatively few predators, and their only form of defense is their toxic saliva.

They use it to protect their young, which they leave in nests while they go forage.

Answer: False

The ring-tailed lemur is the most recognizable lemur, but the indri is the largest lemur. Indris live in northeast Madagascar and are critically endangered. Their large size makes them hunting targets, and they do not take very well to zoos. All lemurs are native to Madagascar.

They survived there despite being relatively primitive because they became isolated from the more advanced primates on the African mainland.

Answer: walk

Tarsiers are very distinct primates that can be found in Southeast Asia. They are nocturnal, with bat-like ears and eyes so large that they cannot move them. Instead, they are able to turn their heads almost completely around their necks. Tarsiers and are able to jump long distances in a motion similar to that of a tree frog.

They are well-adapted to living in trees, but if they fall to the ground, it becomes extremely difficult for them to move around. Their limbs are not adapted for that sort of movement.

Answer: tamarin

New World monkeys -- those found in Central and South America -- are almost all small and arboreal. Better-known examples include tamarins (pictured), marmosets, capuchins, and spider monkeys. New World monkeys are believed to have migrated to South America about 40 million years ago. Most New World monkeys do not have opposable thumbs. On the other hand, the Atelidae family includes the only monkeys that have prehensile tails.

Answer: Japan

Old World monkeys are the monkeys that are native to Africa, Asia, and Gibraltar. They include baboons, macaques, mandrills, and colobus monkeys. They are more closely related to the great apes than New World monkeys are. The northernmost ranging Old World Monkeys are the Japanese macaques.

They are famous for behaviors like visiting hot springs and rolling up snowballs, which are learned and taught by the monkeys to each other.

Answer: brachiation

That famous monkey swinging motion is called brachiation (from the Latin for arm). It is mainly used by gibbons and siamangs, and a little by some New World monkeys. Gibbons use this motion to move very quickly among trees. They are known to swing at speeds of as much as 34 mph (55 kph) and go as much as 26 ft (8 m) in a single leap.

They have elongated hands and curved fingers to further help them along.

Answer: camouflage

In contrast with other large apes, orangutans are a striking red-orange color. Though it makes them stand out when considered in isolation, it actually helps them blend into their environment. They live in swampy environments where the water tends to be a muddy color.

Their hair becomes much darker-looking in the environment that they live in, making them harder to see. They also usually build nests in trees, and it is difficult to see them from the ground with the sun in the background.

Answer: No

The largest wild gorillas can reach a rather hefty 400 lb (180 kg), while obese (captive) gorillas have clocked in at 600 lb (270 kg). Thus, the 800 lb gorilla does not quite exist in real life. Gorillas are nonetheless quite large; they are generally the largest living primates.

They can reach 6 ft (1.8 m) in height, with an 8.5 ft (2.6 m) arm span. Those large arms are used for knuckle-walking. The primary benefit to that is that they can use their hands for walking while still having fingers.

Answer: bonobo

Chimpanzees were once considered a single species, but have since been divided into the bonobos and common chimpanzees (which are divided into five subspecies). Chimpanzees are the closest thing to a human that's not actually a human. They are famous for their intelligence, are known to use tools, and are quite capable of violent acts like murdering their own kind. Bonobos are further known for their very liberal sexual behavior.

Answer: chromosomes

Humans have the same amount of teeth and phalanges that the other great apes do, and more cranial capacity. They also have 46 chromosomes. The other great apes have 48. The widely-held belief is that two pairs of chromosomes fused together to create a large pair. Chromosome pair #2 is a large chromosome, and contains remnants of an extra centromere and telomeres.

It is extremely similar to a pair of chromosomes that chimpanzees have, and they are the primate most closely related to humans. Less hair, upright walking, and bigger heads came later down the line.