How much do you know about Monkey Business? | Quiz

Answer: Tarsier

The tarsier is the only completely carnivorous primate. It is primarily insectivorous and is not known to ever eat plant matter. These nocturnal primates are found on various islands of Southeast Asia. The tarsier is one of the very few primates that has a fur-covered nose as well as a very well-developed sense of smell.

Many populations of the arboreal tarsier are threatened by habitat loss and genetic inbreeding.

Answer: Mandrill

The largest monkey is usually considered to be the colorful mandrill. Closely related to the baboon, the mandrill is found in the tropical rainforests of Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. An adult male mandrill can weigh as much as 82 lbs. (37kg). Mandrills are omnivores that will eat fruit, seeds, and small mammals. Mandrills are probably most famous for the colorful pads that are found on the face and rump of the adult males.

The other three options are all considered apes, not monkeys.

Answer: North America

At one time, millions of years ago, there were primates in North America. This was at a time when the globe looked a lot different and was a lot warmer than it is today. 33.9 million years ago the Grande Coupure, also known as the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event, occurred causing a mass extinction of many animals which were unable to adapt to the colder climates found in North America.

This included all primates which may have made North America their home. All three of the other continents have had successful primate populations for millions of years.

Answer: Apes don't have tails and monkeys do.

The distinction between apes and monkeys is evolutionary ancestry and physical characteristics. The easiest way to tell the two apart is to look for the presence of a tail. Most monkeys have tails while no apes nor hominids do. For the most part, monkeys are much more like other mammals than apes are. An example of this is the fact that monkeys cannot swing from branch to branch as apes and humans can because their shoulder joints have a different structure.

Instead, they must scamper across the tops of branches.

Answer: Marmoset

Marmosets are small, squirrel-like primates that are found in South and Central America. Known as being one of the more flamboyant primates, many have spectacular fur, ear tufts, and moustaches. The diurnal marmoset is usually arboreal in nature and has an omnivorous diet. The other three options are all Old World monkeys.

Answer: Orangutan

The unusual orangutan derives its name from a Malay word meaning "person of the jungle". The orange-furred orangutan is found only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and is one of the most intelligent members of the primate family. Orangutans are known for their long arms which can span seven ft. (2 meters) when outstretched.

The orangutan is mostly arboreal and is known to make nests in the trees of their tropical rain forest homes.

Answer: True

Weighing around 30 grammes (about an ounce), Madame Berthe's mouse lemur takes the (tiny) crown as the world's smallest primate. The second smallest primate, the pygmy mouse lemur, can weigh up to 55g (1.9) ounces. Both live on the island nation of Madagascar in isolation. Madame Berthe's mouse lemur was only discovered in 1992 and named after Madagascar's noted conservationist and primatologist Prof. Dr Madame Berthe Rakotosamimanana. The pygmy mouse lemur (pictured) was thought to have become extinct for over one hundred years but was rediscovered in 1993.

Answer: Madagascar

According to the IUCN, the island of Madagascar is home to six of the world's most endangered primate species. Most of these primates are endangered due to habitat loss caused by logging. Many of the small primates on the island have fragmented populations, problems with inbreeding, and populations believed to be under fifty individuals.

These unique animals can be found nowhere else on the planet.

Answer: True

The bonobo is also known as the pygmy chimpanzee even though they are about the same size. The name is believed to be derived from the pygmy tribes that once populated the same area of central Africa. The major difference between the common chimpanzee and the bonobo is behavioral/social.

The bonobo is the only great ape society that is known to be led by females. Their social structure is usually more peaceful than that of the common chimpanzee.

Answer: Aye-aye

Aye-ayes are found only on the island of Madagascar. They are believed to be the only primate that hunts by using echolocation. They use their long delicate fingers to tap on hollow trees attempting to locate insect larvae. The arboreal aye-aye is rarely, if ever, seen on the ground. Native populations on the island have believed the aye-aye to be an omen of bad luck and the animals were killed on sight for centuries. Today they receive legal protection and it is hoped that the populations will someday start to rise.