Our closest relatives, according to the theory of Sir Charles Darwin, and accept the evolutionary theory of the origin of man. We linger for a long time at the zoo enclosures with these funny animals, applaud their tricks in the circus, and we won’t count movies with monkeys.
It is unlikely that any of us will meet in life with King Kong, but the monkeys are quite large animals and let's find out which monkey is the largest on the planet. And for starters, let's look into the distant past, having met with huge giant petitas.
The biggest monkeys in the world:
Giant petite
Artistic depiction of a giant petit, based on the found remains of an animal.
The world found out about the existence of a giant monkey quite by accident when a paleontologist from Germany bought monkey teeth in the Hong Kong gift shop, many times bigger than the gorilla's jaws.
Another likely image of a giant petit.
Through long studies, it was proved that the teeth belong to an extinct monkey, whose growth exceeded 4 meters. This species was called gigantopithecus, and they existed on Earth at the same time as pithecanthropus, and even could make primitive tools.
Today, scientists distinguish three species of giant petitheater that lived approximately in the period from 9 to 100,000 years ago.
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Magot
But the story of the existing ones will begin with the only representative of primates in Europe - the Berber monkey. These funny animals live on the mountainsides of Gibraltar.
Magotas, who also live in Asia and Africa, reach a height of 70 centimeters, and weight - 14-15 kilograms. Living in large groups, magoths eat the fruits of trees, and also eat insects with pleasure.
It is interesting that the males of these monkeys are happy to bother with offspring, sometimes choosing a pet for themselves, and everywhere they drag him along.
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Howler monkey
These representatives of the primacy squad are the largest monkeys of the South American continent, and received their unusual name because of the ability to imitate various sounds.
Howlers spend most of their lives in trees, gathering in packs of 15–18 individuals. Monkeys with a height of up to 80 centimeters and a weight of 8 kg, with the help of a kind of "roar" guard their territory. It is this skill, the sound of which is spread over many kilometers, that allows to avoid intraspecific conflicts.
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Chimpanzee
If you literally translate the name of this primate from one of the African languages, then a chimpanzee means "like a man." Indeed, these monkeys on the genetic basis are the closest relatives of man.
The growth of males of an adult chimpanzee reaches 150-170 centimeters, females a little smaller - 130 centimeters. They live in complex social groups, peculiar communities with a clear separation of functions.
These are quite smart animals, and often use objects as improvised tools.
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Orangutans
Translated from the Malay language, the word "orangutan" is translated as "forest man". Long observations and studies of orangutans led scientists to the conclusion that after humans, this is the smartest animal on Earth.
Orangutan is the largest monkey living on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. The population and range have declined significantly, and earlier the orangutan could be found throughout Southeast Asia.
The growth of these primates reaches 1.5 meters, and weight up to 100 kilograms. They live mainly on the branches of trees, moving with the help of massive paws, the scope of which reaches 2 meters.
Many people mistakenly say “orangutan,” but this is not true. Translated from the same Malian, it means "debtor."
By the way, there is a very interesting article about the largest trees in the world on thebiggest.ru.
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Gorillas
These representatives of the primates order live in the equatorial forests of Africa, in addition, they are social animals living in groups.
Gorilla, 1.8 meters tall and weighing more than 100 kilograms, is the largest monkey in the world. Some eyewitnesses at the beginning of the twentieth century reported individuals growing 230 centimeters. Perhaps it was this information that inspired the creators of King Kong.
Large animals are sometimes aggressive that even leopards avoid meeting them. But, in general, good-natured animals that care about the offspring. The gorilla will never attack first, and is aggressive only in the event of self-defense.
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Conclusion
The resemblance to humans made scientists study monkeys more closely, and some of the discoveries regarding the mental abilities of these animals are surprising.
For example, monkeys can communicate not only with the help of sounds, but also with facial expressions. But, most likely, they will not succeed in teaching them human speech, but one of the chimpanzees easily mastered the sign language of the deaf-mute.
And since they are closest to us in body structure and origin, they were most often launched into space. To date, 32 monkeys who have seen our Earth from orbit have entered the history of world astronautics.
Article author: Valery Skiba