Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
Beat the crowd
10 questions No timer
97 free Monkey trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
63 free monkey trivia questions with answers. Discover how much you know about our closest primate relatives with this entertaining monkey trivia quiz. From jungle acrobatics to social hierarchies, test your understanding of these intelligent and fascinating creatures. Whether you're a wildlife enthusiast or just curious about animals, this quiz will educate and entertain you.
30 of 97 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What do most monkeys have that apes lack?
Presence of a tail
The Old World monkey family name literally means 'tailed ape'; the apes are the tailless ones.
Q 02Roughly what share of primate species are threatened with extinction?
60%
A 2017 review of 504 primate species found about 60% threatened with extinction and roughly 75% with declining populations, driven by deforestation, hunting and the pet trade.
Q 03Which of these primate groups is classified as an Old World monkey?
Langur
Langurs belong to the Old World subfamily Colobinae alongside the colobuses and snub-nosed monkeys; marmosets, spider monkeys and squirrel monkeys are all New World species.
Q 04Which of the following is an example of a New World monkey species?
Titi
Titis are New World monkeys of the family Pitheciidae, alongside sakis and uakaris; they live in South American forests in monogamous pairs that often sit with tails intertwined.
Q 05New World monkeys, found in tropical regions from Mexico southwards, are mostly concentrated on which continent?
South America
South America holds most of the five New World monkey families, which descend from African simians and range from Mexico through Central America.
Q 06What is the primary function of a prehensile tail for many monkey species?
Grasping branches
A prehensile tail is adapted to grasp or hold objects, effectively acting as a 'fifth limb' for climbing and foraging.
Q 07Which monkey is the world's smallest, at just over 100 grams?
Pygmy Marmoset
The pygmy marmoset of the western Amazon Basin is the smallest monkey, weighing about 100–120 grams as an adult; it feeds mainly on tree gum.
Q 08What is the largest monkey species by weight?
Mandrill
Males have a 70–95 cm head-body length and weigh 19–30 kg, while females are far less stocky.
Q 09Which country successfully sent the first primate into space in 1949?
United States
The United States flew the monkey Albert II to 83 miles on a V-2 rocket from Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, on 14 June 1949; he died on impact when the parachute failed.
Q 10How many fingers do most monkey species typically have on each hand?
Five
Five digits on each limb is the primate pattern, each tipped with a keratin fingernail.
Q 11Which New World primate is famous for calls that carry long distances through dense rain forest?
Howler
Fifteen species are recognized, and they are among the largest of the platyrrhines.
Q 12Old World monkeys are native to which continents?
Africa and Asia
Africa and Asia are the Old World monkeys' native continents, where they inhabit tropical rainforests, savannas, shrublands and mountainous terrain.
Q 13A monkey named Imo on Japan's Koshima Island became famous for doing what with sweet potatoes?
Washing them in water
Imo later dipped her clean food in salty seawater, and the habit spread through her troop.
Q 21Which of these animals is classified as an ape, not a monkey?
Gibbon
Gibbons are the 'lesser apes' (family Hylobatidae): tailless, long-armed brachiators of forests from Northeast India to southern China and Indonesia.
Q 22Which hands-on behavior between troop-mates reinforces monkey social bonds and rank?
Grooming
Social grooming is a vital behavior that not only maintains hygiene by removing dirt and parasites but also strengthens social bonds and hierarchy.
Q 23Which group includes the smallest of the Old World monkeys?
Talapoins
Talapoins of central Africa have grey-green fur on top and whitish undersides, and weigh around 1.3 kg at most.
Q 14Which New World primate's genus name, Ateles, means 'incomplete', referring to its reduced thumbs?
Spider Monkey
Spider monkeys (genus Ateles) have only a vestigial thumb, hence the Greek name meaning 'incomplete'; they hang by their prehensile tails with long limbs dangling, which earned the 'spider' name.
Q 15In the context of space exploration, what kind of monkey was Albert II, the first primate in space?
Rhesus macaque
Albert II, the first primate to reach space in 1949, was a rhesus macaque.
Q 16About 300 Barbary macaques, Europe's only wild monkeys, live where?
Gibraltar
Gibraltar hosts about 300 Barbary macaques, the only wild monkeys in Europe; the species is native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria.
Q 17Which New World monkey family sports claws, not nails, on most digits?
Callitrichidae (marmosets)
Marmosets also have non-opposable thumbs, tactile hairs on their wrists, and no wisdom teeth.
Q 18Which New World monkey genus, Aotus, is named for its hidden ears?
Night monkeys
Night monkeys, or owl monkeys, make up the genus Aotus, the only truly nocturnal monkeys; the name means 'earless' because their ears are hidden in fur.
Q 19The gelada, or bleeding-heart monkey, lives only in the highlands of which country?
Ethiopia
Geladas live only in the high grasslands of Ethiopia's central plateau; adult males carry a bright red patch of bare chest skin, hence 'bleeding-heart monkey'.
Q 20With 24 genera and 139 recognized species, which is the largest primate family?
Cercopithecidae
Cercopithecidae, the Old World monkeys, is the largest primate family, with roughly 24 genera and some 140 species from the 1 kg talapoin to the mandrill; its members are closer kin to apes than to New World monkeys.
Q 24Which type of monkey is known for having a prehensile tail, often used as a fifth limb?
New World Monkeys
Prehensile tails, capable of grasping and supporting body weight, are a distinctive feature of many New World monkey species, allowing them to navigate the forest canopy.
Q 25The endangered golden lion tamarin's entire wild range lies within which Brazilian state?
Rio de Janeiro
Golden lion tamarins survive only in Atlantic Forest fragments of Rio de Janeiro state, mainly the São João river basin; the species fell to a few hundred animals in the 1970s before captive breeding and reintroduction rebuilt it.
Q 26The name 'colobus' comes from a Greek word meaning 'docked' or 'maimed', referring to what feature?
A stump-like thumb
Colobus monkeys have only a stump-like thumb, the 'maimed' feature behind the Greek-derived name; black-and-white colobuses are important seed dispersers in African forests.
Q 27Which primate has been observed using stones as tools to crack open nuts?
Capuchin
One population of tufted capuchins strips the husk, leaves the nut to dry for about a week, then cracks it with a stone.
Q 28All six baboon species are native to which continent?
Africa
All six baboons — hamadryas, Guinea, olive, yellow, Kinda and chacma — are native to Africa, across savanna, woodland and semi-desert; the hamadryas also reaches the Arabian Peninsula.
Q 29What is the primary food of most spider monkeys?
Fruits
They forage in the high canopy 25 to 30 m up and need large tracts of undisturbed moist evergreen forest.
Q 30Which monkey, a strong swimmer, has partially webbed toes?
Proboscis
The proboscis monkey has partially webbed toes and readily swims the rivers of its mangrove habitat; adult males also sport a large pendulous nose that amplifies their honking calls.