Current Affairs

UPSC WORLD MONKEY DAY - English

WORLD MONKEY DAY

Why in News?

World Monkey Day is celebrated worldwide on 14th December, every year.

• Monkey Day has been created to celebrate monkeys and other non-human primates.
• A primate is any mammal of the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans.
• It is a great day when it comes to raising awareness about different types of monkeys and primates around the world, as well as the issues they face and how we can help them.
• Monkeys, also known as simians, live all over the world.
• More than 250 species of monkeys populate Africa, Central America, South America, and Asia.
• Monkeys are divided into two categories– Old World monkeys and New World monkeys.
• Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia while New World monkeys are indigenous to the Americas, but their homes are not the only ways in which they are different.

Physical Characteristics:

• They range in size from mere ounces like the pygmy marmoset to the mandrill at a heavier 80 pounds.
• Monkeys tend to walk on all four limbs.
• As a member of the primate family, they are considered a lesser ape.
• Most monkeys have a tail, though not all do.
• Usually, New World monkeys possess prehensile tails, meaning they can use their tails to grasp or hold on to objects.
• On the other hand, Old World monkeys all have tails, but they lack the ability to grasp objects.

IUCN Status: According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), approximately 70% of Asian species are Endangered, as are about 50% of African species and 40% of neo-tropical species. Some of them are:

• Western Chimpanzee: Critically Endangered.
• Roloway Monkey: Critically Endangered.
• Lion-tailed Macaque: Endangered.
• Diana Monkey: Endangered.
• Long-tailed Macaque: Endangered.
• Gee’s Golden Langur: Endangered.

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