Monkeys are among the most recognizable primates, but the word “monkey” covers a wide range of animals with different bodies, habitats, diets, and social lives. Some live in African savannas, some move through Asian mountain forests, and others swing through the rainforest canopy of Central and South America.
Quick answer: The main types of monkeys are usually grouped into Old World monkeys, which are native to Africa and Asia, and New World monkeys, which are native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. This guide covers 13 well-known monkey types, including baboons, macaques, mandrills, capuchins, marmosets, tamarins, and spider monkeys.
Taxonomy changes as scientists revise primate relationships, so species counts should be treated as rounded estimates rather than fixed numbers. A safe way to think about monkey diversity is this: there are well over 200 living monkey species, split across Old World and New World lineages, with many more fossil relatives known from the past.
- Old World monkeys include baboons, macaques, guenons, mandrills, mangabeys, langurs, colobus monkeys, proboscis monkeys, and vervets.
- New World monkeys include capuchins, marmosets, tamarins, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys, sakis, uakaris, and titis.
- Apes are not monkeys. Chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons are apes, not monkeys.
- Most monkeys have tails. Apes do not. Some New World monkeys also have prehensile tails that help them grip branches.
What Is a Monkey?
A monkey is a primate commonly understood as a tailed simian, separate from apes. Scientific classification is more detailed than everyday language, but the practical distinction is simple for most readers: monkeys usually have tails, while apes do not.
The two major monkey groups are Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. These groups differ in geography, nose shape, teeth, tails, hands, and the way many species move through their habitats.
The exact number of monkey species changes as researchers revise taxonomy. The Mammal Diversity Database is one useful reference for current mammal taxonomy because it tracks new species descriptions and taxonomic revisions.
Old World vs New World Monkeys
The most useful way to organize monkey types is by geography and anatomy. Old World monkeys evolved in Africa and Asia. New World monkeys evolved in the Americas.
| Feature | Old World monkeys | New World monkeys |
|---|---|---|
| Native range | Africa and Asia, with a small population of Barbary macaques in Gibraltar | Mexico, Central America, and South America |
| Scientific group | Family Cercopithecidae | Parvorder Platyrrhini, including several families |
| Nose shape | Nostrils are close together and usually face downward | Nostrils are wider apart and more side-facing |
| Tail | May be long, short, or nearly absent, but not fully prehensile | Some species have prehensile tails used for support or gripping |
| Hands and feet | Many have opposable thumbs and flat nails | Hands vary; marmosets and tamarins have claw-like nails on most digits |
| Examples | Baboons, macaques, guenons, mandrills, langurs, colobus monkeys | Capuchins, marmosets, tamarins, spider monkeys, howler monkeys |
Neither group is “better” or more advanced. They are different evolutionary lineages shaped by different forests, climates, food sources, predators, and social pressures.
13 Types of Monkeys at a Glance
| Type of monkey | Group | Where they live | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baboons | Old World | Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula | Ground travel, large troops, long muzzles |
| Macaques | Old World | Asia, North Africa, and Gibraltar | Adaptability, intelligence, social behavior |
| Guenons | Old World | Africa | Long tails and striking facial patterns |
| Mandrills | Old World | Central African forests | Bright facial colors and large body size |
| Colobus monkeys | Old World | Africa | Leaf-eating diets and reduced thumbs |
| Mangabeys | Old World | Africa | Forest and swamp habitats, social groups |
| Langurs | Old World | Asia | Leaf-eating diets and long tails |
| Proboscis monkeys | Old World | Borneo | Large noses, river forests, swimming ability |
| Vervet monkeys | Old World | Africa | Alarm calls and adaptation to human edges |
| Capuchins | New World | Central and South America | Problem-solving and flexible diets |
| Marmosets | New World | South America | Small size and claw-like nails |
| Tamarins | New World | Central and South America | Facial hair, cooperative infant care |
| Spider monkeys | New World | Mexico, Central America, and South America | Long limbs and prehensile tails |
Types of Old World Monkeys
1. Baboons
Baboons are large Old World monkeys in the genus Papio. Most live in Africa, with hamadryas baboons also found around the Red Sea region of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They are strong, social, and highly adaptable, using grasslands, woodlands, savannas, rocky areas, and gallery forests.
Modern sources often recognize five baboon species: hamadryas, olive, yellow, chacma, and Guinea baboons. Baboons eat fruit, grasses, seeds, leaves, insects, and animal matter when available, making them flexible omnivores rather than strict meat-eaters or strict herbivores.
How to recognize them: Look for a long muzzle, powerful jaws, a ground-based walking style, and visible sitting pads on the rump. Baboons usually live in social groups where rank, family relationships, and alliances matter.
2. Macaques
Macaques are among the most adaptable monkey types. They live in forests, mountains, temples, farms, cities, and cold regions that many other primates avoid. Japanese macaques, often called snow monkeys, are famous for surviving snowy winters and using hot springs in parts of Japan.
Rhesus macaques are another well-known species. They have a broad range across South and East Asia and have also become established outside their native range in some places. Their intelligence and adaptability make them successful, but close contact with people can create conflict and health risks.
Pet and safety note: Macaques should not be treated like pets or tourist props. The CDC warns that B virus can spread from infected macaques to people, especially through bites, scratches, or contact with bodily fluids. If you are near macaques, do not touch or feed them.
3. Guenons
Guenons are African Old World monkeys often recognized by long tails, quick movement, and detailed facial markings. Many live in forest habitats where they use branches for travel, balance, feeding, and escape from predators.
The name “guenon” is often used for several monkeys in and around the genus Cercopithecus. Blue monkeys, mona monkeys, De Brazza’s monkeys, and Allen’s swamp monkeys are commonly discussed in this group. Some guenons eat fruit, leaves, seeds, insects, and other small foods depending on habitat and season.
How to recognize them: Look for a slender body, long tail, expressive face, and patterned fur. Many guenons have white, orange, black, gray, or blue-gray markings around the face or body.
4. Mandrills
Mandrills are often confused with baboons, but they belong to the genus Mandrillus. They are Old World monkeys native to the forests of west-central Africa, including areas of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of the Congo.
Adult male mandrills are among the most visually striking primates, with blue and red facial ridges, bright rump coloration, and large canine teeth. Their colors can signal age, health, dominance, and reproductive status.
How to recognize them: Look for a stocky body, short tail, heavy brow, bright facial ridges, and strong sexual dimorphism. Females and younger animals are less brightly colored than adult males.
5. Colobus Monkeys
Colobus monkeys are African Old World monkeys adapted for eating leaves. Their digestive systems help them process tough plant material, and their bodies are built for life in trees. Black-and-white colobus monkeys are especially recognizable because of their long white hair and dramatic tail fringes.
Unlike many Old World monkeys, colobus monkeys have a reduced or nearly absent thumb. This helps them move quickly through branches, although it gives their hands a different look from macaques, baboons, and guenons.
How to recognize them: Look for a long tail, tree-dwelling behavior, reduced thumbs, and strong black, white, red, or olive coloration depending on the species.
6. Mangabeys
Mangabeys are African Old World monkeys with long limbs, long tails, and social groups that can shift as food and habitat conditions change. Some are known for pale eyelids that stand out against darker faces, while others have crests, caps, or cheek fur.
The word “mangabey” is used for more than one lineage of African monkeys, so it is not as simple as one neat genus. Many live in forests, swamp forests, river edges, and other habitats vulnerable to logging, hunting, and land conversion.
How to recognize them: Look for a long tail, slim body, expressive face, and in some species, pale eyelids or a darker cap of fur.
7. Langurs
Langurs are Old World monkeys found across parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Many are leaf-eating colobines with long tails, slim bodies, and stomach adaptations that help them digest leaves and other plant material.
Some langurs live deep in forests, while others are familiar near villages, temples, cliffs, and city edges. Hanuman langurs are especially well known in India, while leaf monkeys and lutungs occupy forests across Southeast Asia.
How to recognize them: Look for a long tail, lean body, dark face in many species, and a mostly plant-based diet. Some langur infants are born with bright orange or pale fur that changes as they grow.
8. Proboscis Monkeys
Proboscis monkeys are Old World monkeys native to Borneo. They are strongly associated with river forests, mangroves, peat swamps, and other wetland habitats. Their large noses are most developed in adult males and may help with vocal display and mate attraction.
These monkeys are also capable swimmers, which fits their river-edge lifestyle. Their potbellied appearance comes from a specialized digestive system that helps process leaves and other plant foods.
How to recognize them: Look for a large hanging nose in adult males, reddish-brown fur, pale limbs, a rounded belly, and frequent use of riverside trees or wetland habitats.
9. Vervet Monkeys
Vervet monkeys are small to medium-sized Old World monkeys native to parts of Africa. They are often seen in savannas, woodlands, riverine areas, farms, lodges, and urban edges where food is available.
Vervets are famous in animal behavior studies because they use different alarm calls for different threats. Their calls can warn group members about eagles, snakes, leopards, and other dangers.
How to recognize them: Look for grayish fur, a dark face, pale fringe around the face, and a long tail. They often move in alert groups and forage on fruits, seeds, leaves, insects, and human food when people make it available.
Types of New World Monkeys
10. Capuchin Monkeys
Capuchins are New World monkeys found in Central and South America. They are agile, curious, and adaptable, with diets that can include fruit, seeds, insects, eggs, small animals, and plant parts.
Capuchins are often described as intelligent because some species use tools, solve feeding problems, and learn from group members. That intelligence does not make them good pets. It makes their needs more complex and captivity more difficult to manage responsibly.
How to recognize them: Look for a medium-sized New World monkey with a rounded head, expressive face, strong hands, and a tail that helps with balance but is not used like a spider monkey’s tail.
11. Marmosets
Marmosets are small New World monkeys native to South America. They are part of the callitrichid group, along with tamarins and lion tamarins. Many have claw-like nails that help them cling vertically to tree trunks and branches.
Some marmosets feed heavily on tree gum and sap. They use specialized lower teeth to gouge bark and return to feeding holes over time. Pygmy marmosets are especially well known because they are among the smallest monkeys in the world.
How to recognize them: Look for very small size, long tails, ear tufts in some species, claw-like nails, and quick vertical movement on trunks and branches.
12. Tamarin Monkeys
Tamarins are small New World monkeys found in Central and South America. Many are easy to recognize because of their mustaches, crests, manes, or contrasting facial fur. Emperor tamarins, cotton-top tamarins, and golden lion tamarins are among the best-known examples.
Tamarins often live in family groups where more than one adult helps care for infants. Many species give birth to twins, making cooperative care important for survival.
The golden lion tamarin is a strong conservation example. It once fell to very low numbers because of habitat loss, fragmentation, and collection for the pet trade. Long-running breeding, reintroduction, and habitat programs have helped the species recover, although it still depends on protected and connected forest.
How to recognize them: Look for small size, long tails, claw-like nails, and distinctive facial hair. Golden lion tamarins have bright orange-gold fur and a mane-like frame around the face.
13. Spider Monkeys
Spider monkeys are New World monkeys in the genus Ateles. They are built for life high in the canopy, with long limbs, hook-like hands, and a long prehensile tail that can act almost like an extra limb.
Geoffroy’s spider monkey, also called the Central American spider monkey or black-handed spider monkey, ranges from Mexico into Central America and northwestern Colombia. It lives in mature rainforest and montane forest, where large connected forests are important for feeding and movement.
How to recognize them: Look for very long arms and legs, a small head, a long gripping tail, and a habit of hanging or swinging below branches. Spider monkeys are among the easiest monkeys to identify by silhouette.
Other Monkey Types Worth Knowing
The 13 groups above cover many of the most searched and recognizable monkey types, but they are not the full list. These monkeys also come up often in animal guides, conservation work, and zoo education.
| Monkey type | Group | Why readers search for it |
|---|---|---|
| Howler monkeys | New World | Known for loud calls that carry through forests |
| Squirrel monkeys | New World | Small, social, fast-moving monkeys with expressive faces |
| Owl monkeys | New World | Also called night monkeys because many are active at night |
| Snub-nosed monkeys | Old World | Cold-adapted Asian monkeys with unusual nose shape |
| Barbary macaques | Old World | The only wild monkey population in Europe, found in Gibraltar |
| Uakaris | New World | Known for short tails and bright red faces in some species |
Primates Often Mistaken for Monkeys
Several primates look monkey-like to casual observers but are not monkeys. The biggest clue is the tail: apes do not have tails, while monkeys usually do.
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys. They are closer to humans than monkeys are, and they have no tails. They live in African forests and woodlands, form complex communities, use tools, and face serious threats from habitat loss, hunting, and disease.
For more context on primate relationships, see our guide to human DNA compared with other animals.
Gibbons
Gibbons are small apes from Asia. They are famous for long arms, fast swinging movement through trees, and loud calls that can carry across the forest. Like chimpanzees, gibbons are not monkeys because they are apes and do not have tails.
Can Monkeys Be Pets?
Monkeys are wild animals, not domesticated companions. Laws vary by country, state, and city, but legality is only one issue. Monkeys have complex social needs, strong teeth, high intelligence, long lifespans, and disease risks that make private ownership unsafe and unethical in many situations.
Macaques deserve special caution. The CDC warns that B virus can spread from infected macaques to people and can cause severe disease without quick treatment. If you are in a place with macaques, do not touch or feed them.
Before supporting any place that offers monkey handling, photos, feeding, or pet-like interactions, ask whether the activity benefits the animal or mostly benefits human entertainment. Our guide on why animals should not be kept in zoos explains some of the ethical tradeoffs around captivity.
Why Monkey Diversity Matters
Monkeys are not just charismatic animals. Many disperse seeds, shape forest regeneration, influence insect populations, and act as indicators of ecosystem health. When monkey populations decline, the effects can move through the wider habitat.
The main threats vary by species, but common pressures include habitat loss, hunting, illegal wildlife trade, road building, disease, agricultural expansion, and climate-related habitat change. Learning the difference between endangered, threatened, and extinct helps readers understand why conservation status matters.
Some conservation work includes protected areas, wildlife corridors, habitat restoration, community-led monitoring, anti-poaching work, and carefully managed breeding programs. For more background, see our guides to habitat loss solutions and the pros and cons of captive breeding.
FAQ
How many types of monkeys are there?
There are well over 200 living monkey species, depending on taxonomy. They are usually grouped into Old World monkeys from Africa and Asia and New World monkeys from Mexico, Central America, and South America.
What are the main types of monkeys?
The two main monkey groups are Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. Familiar examples include baboons, macaques, guenons, mandrills, langurs, capuchins, marmosets, tamarins, and spider monkeys.
How are Old World monkeys different from New World monkeys?
Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia, usually have downward-facing nostrils, and do not have fully prehensile tails. New World monkeys are native to the Americas, usually have flatter noses, and some species have prehensile tails.
Are chimpanzees and gibbons monkeys?
No. Chimpanzees and gibbons are apes, not monkeys. Apes do not have tails, while most monkeys do.
What is the smallest type of monkey?
Pygmy marmosets are among the smallest monkeys in the world. They are tiny New World monkeys from South America.
Can monkeys be kept as pets?
Monkeys are wild animals and are not recommended as pets. Laws vary, but their social needs, long lifespans, strength, biting risk, and disease risks make private ownership unsafe and often harmful.
Related Resources
- Different Types of Habitats Around the World
- Habitat Loss Solutions You Need to Know
- Endangered vs Threatened vs Extinct: What’s the Difference?
- Different Animals That Can’t Jump
Monkeys are easier to understand when you start with the two big groups, then look at the traits that matter most: where they live, how they move, what they eat, how they use their tails, and how they interact with other animals and people. That approach makes the list more than a set of names. It shows why primate diversity is worth protecting.