|
The new world monkeys are the primates of the Americas. They spend most of their time and trees, and are primarily herbivores. Their diet consists of leaves, fruits, nuts, gums, and occasional small prey such as insects. There are at least 53 known species, although since they live in the vast rainforests, it is very likely that there are many species that have yet to be discovered by science. There are two families in this group of primates, the Callithricidae and the Cebidae. The Callithricidae is the smaller of the two familes, and is generally considered the most primitive. The monkeys here lack opposable thumbs, prehensile tails, nails on most of their fingers, and they cannot change their facial expression. They are also the smallest primates, weighing from 1.5 to 33 pounds. The other family, the Cebidae, contains the bulk of the group of monkeys, including the familiar capuchin and spider monkeys. This group of monkeys contains members as big as a medium sized dog, but most of the monkeys are smaller than that. They have nails and prehensile tails. These tails are strong enough to function as �third hands�. |
|
