What is the difference between ape and monkey?
Monkeys and apes are both primates. They all belong to the human family tree. Many have confused the two and used the names interchangeably. However, the two animals are different from each other.
The main difference between an ape and a monkey is that monkeys have tails but apes do not have tails.
Comparison Table (Ape vs Monkey)
| Characteristics | Ape | Monkey |
| Geographical location | They are only found in Africa and Asia. | They are found in central and south America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. |
| Tail | They do not have tails. | They have tails. |
| Body size and shape | They are larger and heavier, have a broader chest with shoulder joints, body shape and skeleton are closer to humans. | They are smaller with narrow chests and their skeleton is similar to a medium-sized mammal like a cat. |
| Movement | They have a much more upright body position and are comfortable walking on their two hind limbs. | Monkeys run on tree branches rather than swinging. They move on their four limbs. |
| Intelligence | They have larger brain sizes making them more intelligent. | They have small brain size and this makes them less intelligent. |
| Communication skills | They possess advanced cognitive and language skills. | They use sound and body language to communicate. |
| Appendix | They have an appendix. | They do not have an appendix. |
| Habitat | They live on the ground and near rainforests. | They live mostly on trees. |
| Diet | They are omnivores; they feed on fruits, plants, insects, and small mammals such as monkeys. | They are omnivores; they feed on fruits, plants, insects, and small invertebrates. |
| Ability to use tools | Can make use of tools to crack nuts, hunting and playing. | They cannot use tools. |
| Lifespan | They can live up to 60 years. | They can live up to 30 years. |
What is an Ape?
An ape is an animal from the primate family. They are only found in Africa and Asia. To distinguish them from the monkeys, they do not have tails. They are larger and have broad chests with shoulder joints that allow them to swing through trees.
They have a body shape and skeleton closer to humans. They tend to have a more upright body position and are able to walk comfortably on their two hind limbs. When moving on trees, they swing from branch to branch with the help of their shoulder joints.
They are able to use tools to crack nuts, hunting and playing. They are intelligent as their brain size is relatively big. They are omnivores and they feed on fruits, plants, insects, and small mammals such as monkeys.
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What is a monkey?
Monkey is from a primate family. They are kept as pets and others are used as model organisms in the laboratory. They are small, have narrow chests, and have tails. Monkey brains are eaten as delicacies in South Asia, Africa, and China.
The move by running on tree branches using their four limbs. They use sound and body language to communicate with others.
They are omnivores and hence they feed on both plants and animals. They feed on fruits, plants, insects, and other small invertebrates. They give birth to young ones and have mammary glands that enable them to breastfeed their young ones.
Main Differences between an Ape and a Monkey
- Apes are big while monkeys are small in body size.
- Apes do not have tails while monkeys have tails.
- Apes have broad chests while monkeys have narrow chests.
- Apes are more intelligent as they have large brain sizes while monkeys are less intelligent as they have small brain sizes.
- Apes have the ability to use tools to crack nuts, hunt, and play while monkeys do not have the ability.
- Apes live on the ground while monkeys mostly live on trees.
- Apes have an appendix while monkeys do not have an appendix.
Similarities between an Ape and a Monkey
- They all belong to the family primates.
- They are all omnivores.
- Both have four limbs.
- Both give birth to young ones and breastfeed them.
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In Conclusion
Both apes and monkeys are from the family primates. They both feed on the same things hence they are both omnivores. They give birth and breastfeed their young ones. Although they are different from each other by various structures. The main feature that makes apes appear different from monkeys is the presence of tails in monkeys.
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