BIGpedia.com - New World monkey - Encyclopedia and Dictionary Online
encyclopedia search

New World monkey


Cebidae
Aotidae
Pitheciidae
Atelidae The New World monkeys or Platyrrhines are the four families of primates that are found in Central and South America, the Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae and Atelidae. All families differ from the Old World monkeys and apes in having long, often prehensile tails. The name means "flat nosed", and this is how they are distinguished from Old World monkeys. Platyrrhine noses are flatter, with side facing nostrils, compared to the narrow noses and downward facing nostrils of Old World Monkeys. Many are small, arboreal and nocturnal, so our knowledge of them is less comprehensive than that of the more easily observed Old World monkeys. Unlike most Old World monkeys, many New World monkeys form monogamous pair bonds , and show substantial paternal care of young.

Classification



The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License.
How to see transparent copy

01-04-2007 01:21:04