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Jump to category: Monkey species Habitat Diet Social structure Breeding Conservation Pet monkeys Additional resources Bibliography A family of proboscis monkeys in a tree in Borneo. (Image credit: USO via Getty Images) Jump to category: Monkey species Habitat Diet Social structure Breeding Conservation Pet monkeys Additional resources Bibliography Share Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Monkeys are a large and diverse mammal group that includes most primates. Humans, chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) and other apes share an ancestor with monkeys but belong to a separate group of primates that diverged from monkeys millions of years ago. Monkeys are typically smaller than apes and usually have tails, which apes lack. The monkey group doesn't include lemurs , which are another branch of the primate family tree and live in Madagascar. There are a variety of monkeys, spread across the world, with very different lifestyles. They come in many shapes, sizes and colors, but they are all intelligent and social creatures. Types of monkeys Monkeys are broadly split into two groups: Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. Old World monkeys live in Asia and Africa and have downward-pointing nostrils, according to Nature Education . New World monkeys live in North and South America and have outward-pointing nostrils. You may like 60 mind-blowing science facts about our incredible world 'Part of the evolutionary fabric of our societies': Same-sex sexual behavior in primates may be a survival strategy, study finds Chimpanzees in Uganda are locked in a deadly 'civil war' after their group split apart — and scientists don't know why Each group has special skills. For example, some New World monkeys, such as spider monkeys from South America, have prehensile tails that they can use to grasp and hold tree branches and other objects, according to The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, while many Old World monkeys have pouches in their cheeks where they can store food. Monkeys vary significantly in appearance. For example, proboscis monkeys ( Nasalis larvatus ) from the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia are known for males' big noses. A 2018 study published in the journal Science Advances found that they use their noses to attract female mates, which prefer longer noses. Their large noses also enhance their vocalizations. Proboscis monkeys have red faces and potbellies. Their looks contrast sharply with those of some other species, such as black and brown spider monkeys, which are long and slender with small noses. Mandrills ( Mandrillus sphinx ), from West Central Africa, are the world's largest monkeys. Males of this species grow up to 43.3 inches (110 centimeters) long and can weigh more than 72 pounds (33 kilograms), according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance . However, they are similar in size and shape to their close relatives drills ( Mandrillus leucophaeus ), which weigh about 71 pounds (32 kg), according to the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center . The smallest monkeys in the world are pygmy marmosets ( Cebuella pygmaea ) from the Amazon region of South America, according to the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center . These tiny monkeys weigh an average of 4.2 ounces (119 grams) and grow to only 5.4 inches (13.6 cm) long. When they are babies, pygmy marmosets are smaller than human fingers, earning them the nickname "finger monkeys." Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors Related: Why does this 'buff monkey' look ridiculously ripped? A pygmy marmoset in a tree in Venezuela. (Image credit: Michel VIARD via Getty Images) Where do monkeys live? Monkeys live on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. They often make their homes in trees in warm and wet tropical rainforests , including the Amazon rainforest in South America and the Congo Basin in Central Africa. Some species have adapted to living in harsh environments, such as desert-like savannas or snowy mountains. For example, Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ), or snow monkeys, have thick fur to survive the most northern parts of their range in Japan, which can be covered in snow for up to a third of the year, according to the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center . Some Japanese macaques bathe in human-made hot springs in the winter to keep warm, Live Science previously reported . What to read next Bonobos are just as aggressive as chimps, but there's a key difference — the female bonobos 18 million-year-old fossils of ape found in Africa, but in an unexpected place Kanzi the bonobo could play pretend — a trait thought unique to humans Humans have introduced monkeys to areas outside of their native range. For example, there are monkeys in Florida even though the U.S. has no native monkey species. A group of green monkeys ( Chlorocebus sabaeus ) lives near the Fort Lauderdale airport because their ancestors escaped from a nearby private zoo in 1948. The zoo likely imported the monkeys from Sierra Leone, in West Africa, and they've adapted to life in the Floridian mangrove forest, Live Science previously reported . Scientists do not fully understand the impact of this "alien" population on native wildlife, but other monkey populations have become invasive species , meaning they cause environmental or economic harm. Rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta ) are highly adaptable, and their native range — which stretches throughout Asia and includes countries such as India — is thought to be the largest of any nonhuman primate, according to the CABI Invasive Species Compendium , an online encyclopedic resource on invasive species. Rhesus macaques are now invasive in Florida, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. Because of their flexible diet and ability to live in a range of habitats — from trop