Ape vs Monkey - Difference and Comparison

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Similarities (6)

Differences (11)

Show All (17)

	Ape	Monkey
Tail:	No	Yes
Structure:	apes have mobile, rotary shoulder joint which allows them to brachiate and hang from their arms	Monkeys do not have a broad shoulder structure and and are quadrupeds.
Brain size:	Large	Small
human relation:	Belong to the same superfamily of primates which includes humans and hence are closely related to humans in terms of physical structure.	Humans also belong to the same suborder that monkeys do but do not have much of a similarity to them.
Diet:	Mostly omnivorous diet consisting of fruits, grass seeds, small invertebrates.	Diet dffers for all species but generally includes, fruits, leaves, insects, spiders etc.
Demographics:	Native to Africa and Asia but found across the world now.	Native to Asia, Africa and South America.
Locomotion:	Have very flexible arms that enable them to swing from branches, also move on two feet depending on the specie	Cannot swing from branches, move on four feet
Habitat:	Semi terrestrial, terrestrial	Arboreal, semi terrestrial
Lifespan:	Can live to 60 years	Can live upto 30 years
Species:	Around 13 broad species which in turn have many species	Hundreds of known species
About:	Animal that belongs to the family of Primates	Animal that belongs to the family of Primates
Kingdom:	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia	Mammalia
Order:	Primates	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorrhini	Haplorrhini
Size:	From one foot to 2 metres	From 14 cms to 1 metre

Apes are Monkeys, both belong to the family of Simian Primates which have similar origins but differ in their physical attributes and other habits.

1 Physical characteristics
2 Diet
3 Habitat
4 Lifespan
5 Geographical Distribution
6 Similarity to Humans
7 Endangered species
8 See Also
9 References

[edit] Physical characteristics

While apes have larger bodies and relatively larger brains (and prolonged period of infant dependence means single births are spaced at long intervals), Monkeys are smaller in size. Apes have a larger Brain to body size ratio than do Monkeys.
While most species of monkeys have tails, apes lack tails.
Apes have a mobile, rotary shoulder joint which allows them to brachiate and hang from their arms. Some species of Apes are four footed while some use 2 feet to walk. Monkeys are quadrupeds that jump and run along the tops of branches or on the ground. Monkeys are four footed.
Apes have a wider torso and a shorter, stiffer lumbar region as compared to Monkeys.
Apes have a more upright posture as compared to Monkeys.
Apes rely on vision rather than smell, and thus have shorter noses than some monkeys.

[edit] Diet

Monkeys generally prefer to eat fruits, leaves, insects and grass while Apes eat fruits, grass and small invertebrate animals.

[edit] Habitat

Monkeys are mostly arboreal while Apes are semi terrestrial.

[edit] Lifespan

Monkeys can live upto 30 years while Apes can live for 60 years.

[edit] Geographical Distribution

While apes are native to Asia and Africa, Monkeys can be found in Asia, Africa and South America.

[edit] Similarity to Humans

Apes are closely related to humans. Humans form part of the family of Hominidae to which Apes also belong. Hence there are close similarities between the two. Monkeys are primates like humans but still differ a lot. This is because of their relative distance from each other in the evolution cycle.