Old World vs New World Monkeys
After Christopher Columbus had discovered the America, it was named the new world and all the landmasses located east to the Atlantic Ocean were referred as the old world. After that, the two adjectives new world and old world were used to refer the fauna of those two regions of the world accordingly. Native primates of these two regions are important to consider, as there are many exhibited differences between them.
Old World Monkeys
According to the definition, old world monkeys are the native primates found in Africa, Asia, and Europe (Afro Eurasia). There are almost 80 species of old world primates, and they are distributed throughout the tropics of the Afro Eurasia, but some are found even outside tropical climates. Old world monkeys could be either arboreal or terrestrial, but some species are found in both habitats. It would be important to notice that their tail is not prehensile, and some of the old world primates do not even have tails. The downward-facing nose of the protruded face is noticeable about these primates. In addition, the nostrils are located closer than not, and the direction of the nares could be either forward or downward depending on the species. The social groups consist of both males and females, and the number of males is considerable in a troop. Therefore, the competition for females is high among males, and the most dominant one gets the maximum number of females to mate with him. One of the important features of the old world monkeys is that the skin around the genital area starts to swell when the females come to oestrus, which is a way of communication to attract the opposite sexes. The females usually provide the parental care, and the males do not involve with the females, to care for their young. However, sometimes males join the females to provide care.
New World Monkeys
New world monkeys are the native primates of the Americas. There are about 53 described species of new world monkeys, and they are distributed in tropical regions of the Americas and they are never found in cold-temperate climates. They are distributed predominantly in the South American tropical regions, and some species are found in Mexico. One of the most important features of these primates is the prehensile tail, which is extremely useful for an arboreal lifestyle. In addition, their tail is long and strong, so that it can bear the weight of the body. Most of the time these monkeys spend their time on trees and most of their features could be understood as adaptations for arboreal lifestyles. Their nose is flat, and the nostrils are located far apart. Although the skin around the genitals does not swell during oestrus, the scent glads produce enough pheromones to communicate with sexual mates for reproduction. After reproduction, the males also help the females to care for the offspring.
Difference Between Old World and New World Monkeys
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Old World Monkeys |
New World Monkeys |
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Native to Africa, Asia, and Europe |
Native to Americas |
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Nostrils are located closely |
Nostrils located far apart |
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No prehensile tail |
Prehensile tail |
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Males usually do not provide the parental care, but sometimes do |
Males mostly help the females to care for the offspring |
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Almost 80 described species |
About 53 species are described |
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Could be either arboreal, terrestrial, or both |
Always arboreal |
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Skin around the genitals is prominently coloured and swollen during the time that females come to heat |
Scent glands produce more pheromones during oestrus, but not swelling of skin around the genital areas |
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