| The folks that lived in what is considered strait-laced Singapore have been asked to do something a bit different for them. They have been asked to act like monkeys. The monkey is the Chinese zodiac sign assigned to the upcoming lunar year. They have been told to act like monkeys for the very sake of their nation. The theory goes that the residents of Singapore can improve the economy of their country by behaving like monkeys. Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan actually made statements to this effect during a Lunar New Year message that was reported in The Straits Times newspaper. The Chinese believe that a monkey is an innovative, bright, confident and clever creature. On the other hand, the monkey is also thought to be vain, jealous and selfish.
The majority of monkeys are omnivorous and feed on insects, crustaceans, bird's eggs, fruits, seeds, tree leaves, young sprouts and grass. Some monkeys prefer leaves, for instance, bright colored Asian langurs, which are different from leaf-eating African mormosets by the absence of cheek pouches.
All types of monkeys can climb efficiently. Their forelimbs (arms), as a rule, rotate freely. Thumbs (if present) on the front and hind limbs are positioned opposite to other fingers, ie all the limbs have grasping ability, which is an adaptation for living on trees. Their nails are flat. African royal guereza (Colobus) live their entire life on trees, eating leaves and blossoms. This monkey is also known as the "guereza with mantilla" for having beautiful black and white hair, like the royal gown, such a fur, similar to the white arboreal lichen of its native forests, serves for masking. Some monkeys, for instance, baboons usually live on ground and keep roaming across huge territories. All monkeys are diurnal, i.e, they are active during the day but an exception to this is night monkeys (Aotus), which are also called "owl monkey" or night monkeys. These animals with large eyes inhabit the equatorial rain forests of South America, build their houses in the hollows of trees and live in couples and give birth to twin babies. Some monkeys, for instance the macaque (Macaca) and long-nosed monkeys (Nasilis) with the unusually long nose, like to go into water and are good swimmers, if a need arises to hide, they are capable of travelling long distances.
Monkeys communicate with other monkeys by species-specific sounds. The American howler monkeys (Alouatta), which are the largest New World primates, cannot be tamed practically, and can roar so loudly that its roar can be heard up to 5 kms in the forests. These loud sounds, which can be heard from far distances, can be generated due to the strong contractions of the pharyngeal muscles and air from the lungs pass over the opening of special sound amplifying resonators – the osseous laryngeal sacs.
The majority of monkeys are social animals, which live in groups of up to a hundred members, for example the macaques. Some species form family groups, consisting of no more than 5 - 6 individuals. During daytime, the flock breaks into small "groups" but in the evening, they once again come together. Baboons usually move in a group of 200 - 300 individuals. Older males lead the crowd, the majority of other males remain at the back in order to safeguard the herd and a group of bachelors sometimes move separately from others members. Monkeys do not have a permanent home. They stay in places where food is in abundance and when the food becomes insufficient, they migrate to a more suitable place. Monkeys are shy in nature and hide in trees if they sense danger, running in all directions on the branches. Baboons react in a different way. For example, if a leopard attacks a member, strayed from the herd, about a dozen males come to his rescue on hearing his scream and are ready to tear the attacker into pieces.
Duration of pregnancy in Old World female monkeys is from 149 to 270 days; in the case of New World monkeys - about 139 days on an average. Although special mating features are found in all types of monkeys, the majority follow a common stereotype: a large male keeps many females in his "harem". In larger groups, where many adult males are found, conflicts are regular amongst the males for the sake of partners. If such a situation arises among a herd of baboons, all the monkeys join the conflict. Generally, the females, due to whom the conflict occurred, do not live till the issue is resolved. Though strangely, monkeys are very poor at distinguishing the dead from living ones and remain faithful to dead partners, abandoning them only when the herd migrates to new place. |
