Ape or monkey?
How to tell them apart
Apes have no tail. Some tailless monkeys, such as the Barbary "ape", are called apes but are really monkeys.
Quick answers
They differ on 1 of the 8 quick answers: do people eat it.
| Question | Ape | Monkey |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | Omnivore | Omnivore |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? differs | No | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Ape | Monkey |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Africa, Asia | Africa, Asia, South America, Central America |
| Habitat differs | Rainforest, Forest | Rainforest, Forest, Grassland |
| Size differs | Large | Small |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | In troops | In troops |
| Lives for differs | 30–50 years | 15–25 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims differs | No | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Ape
The tailless primates of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: the gibbons, or lesser apes, and the great apes, which are the orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and, scientifically, humans. The answers here are for the non-human apes; each species has its own page.
Monkey
Primates of the Americas, Africa and Asia, split into New World and Old World monkeys. They range from the pygmy marmoset, at about 100 g, to the male mandrill, at up to 36 kg.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.