The key difference between monkey and chimpanzee is that most monkey species have a tail while chimpanzee does not have a tail.
Monkey and chimpanzee are two primates. They have similarities as well as differences even though they belong to the same primate group. However, in an evolutionary aspect, chimpanzees show more closeness to humans than monkeys. Moreover, the larger brain capacity in both these animals has made them very intelligent and tactful in finding food and shelter to live. However, there is a distinct difference between moneky and chimpanzee in terms of various characteristics, such as body form and postures.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Monkey
3. What is a Chimpanzee
4. Similarities Between Monkey and Chimpanzee
5. Side by Side Comparison – Monkey vs Chimpanzee in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is a Monkey?
There are two main types of monkeys as old world monkeys and new world monkeys, with more than 260 extant species in the world. The sizes of the monkeys are vastly different according to the species. The smallest member is about 140 millimetres with a weight of 4 – 5 ounces while the largest member can weigh up to 35 kilograms and can be as tall as 1 metre at the standing posture. Monkeys are good at climbing and jumping among trees. They do not stand in an upright posture but often walk with all four limbs.
Figure 01: Monkey
Only new world monkeys have a prehensile tail and colour vision in their eyes. All monkeys have five digits with an opposable thumb in limbs. Additionally, they also have a binocular vision as the other primates. Their lifespan could vary from 10 to 50 years, depending on species of the monkey.
What is a Chimpanzee?
Chimpanzees are a type of great apes closely related to humans, gorillas and orang-utans. There are only two species of chimps in the genus Pan. An adult chimp could weigh up to 70 kilograms and can be as tall as more than 1.6 metres. They have long arms well suited for walking on the ground than climbing on trees. Their broad soles and short toes of the hind limb are helpful features for walking and, they can also stand in an upright posture as humans. Chimps also have a dark coloured coat and possess excellent eyesight with binocular and colour vision.
Figure 02: Chimpanzee
Chimps have five digits in each hand with an opposable thumb. Unlike most mammals, chimps do not have a tail. They can live up to 40 years in the wild and sometimes up to 60 years in captivity.
What are the Similarities Between Monkey and Chimpanzee?
- Monkey and chimpanzee are two primates.
- They belong to the suborder of anthropoids.
- Both are part of the human family tree.
- Moreover, they possess highly flexible arms, legs and fingers.
- They also have flexible limbs and grasping hands so they can move from branch to branch.
- They have five digits in the forelimb with opposable thumbs.
- In addition, in both monkeys and chimpanzees, the eyes are placed at the front of the face, enabling them to have an improved binocular vision.
- They are both usually omnivores.
- Both are very social creatures.
What is the Difference Between Monkey and Chimpanzee?
Chimps and monkeys are two distinct primate groups. The key difference between monkey and chimpanzee is the presence and absence of a tail. Most monkey species have a tail while chimpanzees do not have a tail. Generally, the body size of the chimpanzee is larger than most other primates. This is also a difference between monkey and chimpanzee.
The more upright body posture of chimps is adapted for walking while monkeys are good climbers than chimpanzees. When considering their vision, chimps have a better vision. However, some new world monkeys have colour vision. This is another difference between monkey and chimpanzee. Moreover, chimpanzees possess a larger brain relative to the body size than the other primates; hence, they are more intelligent than monkeys.
Summary – Monkey vs Chimpanzee
Monkey and chimpanzee are two primates related to each other. Among them, chimpanzee shares a common ancestor with humans showing more closeness to human. The key difference between monkey and chimpanzee is the tail. Most monkey species have a tail while chimpanzee does not have a tail. Furthermore, chimpanzees are more intelligent than monkeys. They also possess a larger body size.