Skip to footer

The top 10 monkeys

December 14th is National Monkey Day, making it the perfect day to contemplate our simian relatives. And what better way to do so than by ranking them in a top 10 list?

Broadly speaking, there are two types of monkeys. Old World monkeys are native to Africa and Asia, and include familiar species such as the langur, the macaque, and the baboon. New World Monkeys, which are native to Central and South America, include marmosets, capuchins, and wooly monkeys. New World monkeys are thought to have evolved from Old World monkeys after migrating from Africa to South America on a raft of vegetation during the Oligocene period, some 23 million to 34 million years ago.

But whatever. We know that you're here to find out what the best kind of monkey is. Click through our top 10 list to find out.

10. Emperor tamarin

Steffen Schmidt/Keystone/AP/File
A Emperor tamarin sits on a branch in his enclosure in the Zurich, Switzerland, zoo,

  • By Eoin O'Carroll CSMonitor.com

Growing a solid mustache isn't easy. For every Tom Selleck and Billy Dee Williams, there are hundreds of guys who, through no fault of their own, can't manage more than a wispy fuzz on their upper lips.

But not the Emperor tamarin. In this species, native to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, even the females sport commanding 'staches. This monkey is named for its purported resemblance to the German emperor Wilhelm II, but we think it looks more like the Lorax.

1 of 10
You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.