100 Fun Facts About Monkeys [Free Fact Cards]

Are you ready to swing through the trees and learn about some of the most playful and clever creatures in the animal kingdom? That’s right, we’re talking about monkeys! Monkeys are amazing animals that can be found in jungles and forests all around the world. So, grab your explorer hats, and let’s jump into the exciting world of monkeys with these fun facts about monkeys!

Did you know that there are lots of different types of monkeys? They come in all shapes and sizes, from little ones that can fit in your hand to bigger ones that are as heavy as a big dog. Some have long tails that help them balance on branches, and others have bright, colorful faces that look like they’re wearing masks!

Monkeys are super smart. They know how to find food, like fruits and nuts, and some even know how to use tools! That’s right, they can use sticks to get yummy insects out of trees or to reach fruits that are just too far away. They’re like the problem-solvers of the forest!

And here’s something really fun: monkeys love to play! They chase each other, swing from branch to branch, and sometimes they even play games with each other, just like you do with your friends. Watching them play can be really funny and cute.

Are you excited to learn more facts about monkeys, these fascinating animals? Monkeys have so many interesting habits and traits, from the way they communicate with each other to how they care for their babies. Let’s keep exploring and find out all the amazing things about the world of monkeys!

Don’t forget to grab your free monkey fact cards below! 

Are you collecting all our fact cards? Be sure to grab Facts About Snakes and our Giraffe Facts.

Best Monkey Facts

1. In June of 2007, the Lesula Monkey was discovered living in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
2. Capuchins Monkeys use tools like rocks and tree branches to smash nuts and club snakes.
3. The groups of monkeys can be called missions, tribes, troops, or cartloads. They help each other and take care of their babies.
4. A popular German story called “Roman de Renart” (Reynard the Fox) is presumed to be where the word monkey comes from.
5. The red and blue cheeks of mandrills face can brighten when they are excited.

6. White-throated Capuchin Monkeys live in trees and hardly ever leave them.
7. The Pygmy Marmoset can bite into a tree with their sharp teeth and get sap out.
8. New World monkeys have tails that can grip and are from Central, South, and North America.
9. Adult monkeys can live anywhere between 10 and 50 years.
10. Proboscis monkeys can swim.

11. Monkeys eat a lot more than bananas, such as nuts, fruits, leaves, flowers, vegetables, bark, roots, rodents, birds, invertebrates, and more—pretty much whatever is available in their habitat.
12. Rhesus monkeys can recognize themselves in the mirror.
13. The Diana monkey was named for the Roman goddess of hunting because the stripe on its forehead resembles Diana’s bow.
14. You can hear the booming sounds of Monkeys from about 1 mile away.
15. There is a woman in Columbia that says she was raised by monkeys.

16. In the Hindu religion, there is a human-like monkey God called Hanuman.
17. At night Spider Monkeys divide up into smaller groups of about 6 to sleep at night.
18. Pata monkeys can run 35 mph as the fastest monkeys.
19. The tail of a Howler monkey is almost five times longer than its body.
20. Old World monkeys do not have gripping tails and are from Asia and Africa.

21. Like a human, all monkeys have a unique fingerprint.
22. South American Titi monkeys cuddle, hold hands, and even intertwine their tales to show love for each other.
23. Male Mandrills are known as the largest monkey as they can be 3 feet long and weigh 100 pounds.
24. The common cold isn’t going to make a monkey sick.
25. Many monkey species are either considered threatened or endangered.

26. Monkeys’ IQs are high, just like young kids.
27. A sign of aggression for monkeys is grinning, yawning, head bobbing, and pulling the lip.
28. Lesula monkeys have faces that look a lot like human faces.
29. One of the rarest and most unique-looking monkeys in the world is the named uakari.
30. Several countries still use monkeys to test products and other things.

31. The most intelligent animal in the world is the orangutan.
32. Japanese macaques often soak in groups at the volcanic hot springs.
33. Even with a warning to not keep them as pets, people still keep Capuchin Monkeys as pets but not domesticated.
34. Macaques use their eyes, ears, brows, and mouth to communicate.
35. Spider monkeys have a tail that can grip a branch and have no thumbs.

36. Europe has only one wild monkey species.
37. Monkeys have good memories and remember paths through the forest as they move around.
38. Capuchin Monkeys go to school to be able to learn how to become helper monkeys for those that might not be able to do things on their own.
39. Pata Monkeys can sprint from 0 to 33 mph in 3 seconds.
40. Old World monkeys fill their cheeks with food to later eat when they feel they are safe.

41. There are only 150 Tonkin Snub-Nosed monkeys in existence.
42. After being bitten by a monkey Alexander, the first died of sepsis.
43. Emperor Tamarin is thought to have been named for German Emperor Wilhelm II because they both have great mustaches.
44. Large monkeys have sharp claws that can kill if needed.
45. Monkeys have brains that are too large for their size, making them so smart.

46. Monkeys yawn like a human does, and it means they are tired.
47. We did not come from monkeys. We just share a common ancestry 25 to 30 million years ago.
48. The nose of a male Proboscis Monkey is big and can be over 3.9 inches and is thought to make the females more attracted to them.
49. Monkeys can feel love, fear, and compassion.
50. White-faced Capuchin Monkeys pick each other’s noses to say hello.

51. Monkeys have opposable thumbs like people do.
52. Female and male Pata monkeys live in groups divided by sex.
53. Bald Uakari have red faces, and they say the brighter the face, the healthier they are.
54. Pygmy marmosets can leap 15 feet into the air even though they are small.
55. The first monkey in space was named Albert II.

56. Lion’s fangs are shorter than a mandrill monkey’s fangs.
57. Monkeys help spread seeds all over their environment by spiting them out or by pooping them.
58. There are several monkey species that are on the endangered species list and are at risk of dying out completely.
59. The biggest monkeys are the leaders of the group.
60. Squirrel Monkeys are able to make 25 different calls, such as barks, purrs, screams, peeps, and squawks.

61. We know of 264 different species of monkeys around the world.
62. The Pygmy Marmoset is the size of a banana and is the smallest monkey known on earth.
63. Some monkeys see in black and white, and others see color.
64. Scientists discovered the Lesula monkey in 2007.
65. Nocturnal night monkeys sleep 17 hours a day.

66. Most monkeys live on the ground and not in the trees.
67. In Nepal, there is a “Monkey Temple” where they can go. That is named The Swayambhunath Temple.
68. South American Titi monkeys mate for life.
69. Howler monkeys can be heard up to 3 miles away and are the loudest monkeys.
70. We can get sick from a monkey spreading germs

71. Baboons have more than 30 sounds that they use to communicate with each other.
72. The Myanmar monkeys sneeze when it rains.
73. Spider Monkeys live in groups that are as large as 36 monkeys.
74. There are monkeys on all continents except Antarctica.
75. Monkeys will steal your food if you are not careful in Bangkok.

76. Monkeys have flat noses and eyes that face forward.
77. There is a flower that looks like a monkey called the Dracula Simia, commonly called “Monkey orchid” or Monkey-like Dracula.”
78. Monkeys work in groups to get food.
79. By age four or five, a monkey is considered an adult.
80. An Ape has no tail, and Monkeys do have tails.

81. If a monkey throws its poop in your face, you could get sick.
82. Monkeys are primates.
83. Monkeys are not considered Apes, and vice versa.
84. The Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys are the furriest monkey and live in the cold, snowy mountains of China.
85. They groom each other to show love and express affection and even to make up with each other.

86. Spider monkeys’ tails can hold their whole body weight.
87. A monkey was the first creature to go into space.
88. Monkeys are smart enough that they once figured out how to slingshot themselves over the electrical fence of their enclosure.
89. Mother monkeys will mourn a lost child.
90. Like a good mother, female monkeys teach their young how to floss their teeth.

91. In a few parts of Africa, Asia, and China, they eat the brains of the monkey.
92. Monkeys eat both meat and plants, such as nuts, fruits, seeds, flowers, bird eggs, small animals like lizards, small insects, and spiders.
93. Some monkeys will groom and share food with deer for a ride to where they are trying to go.
94. Owl monkeys have eyes that see in the dark.
95. Many monkeys sleep 9.5 hours each night.

96. Capuchins are the most common monkeys in the world.
97. People in Africa sell monkeys as meat to eat.
98. Monkeys can hate things.
99. A spider monkey that is held in captivity by itself will die of loneliness.
100. Monkeys sleep in trees while sitting on branches.

Do you have even more interesting facts about monkeys? Share them with us in the comments! Also, don’t forget to grab your free monkey fact cards to add to your collection!