n6] Animals in the Wild 



other inhabitants of the zoo are natural-born showmen and show- 

 offs that children love to watch. 



Your child's enjoyment of a visit to the zoo stimulates him 

 to learn more about the animal world. Many exhibits have labels 

 or placards giving specific information about the animals. And 

 before going on a visit, you can prepare yourself at home with 

 some background reading one of the purposes of this chapter is 

 to supply you with it. Thus you will be well equipped to furnish 

 details about the animals or offer interesting information at the 

 strategic moment. 



MONKEYS HIGH-SPIRITED PERFORMERS 



It is a good idea to make the Monkey House the first stop 

 on your zoo tour: There is a special appeal in these volatile animals 

 and their endearing ways which often remind us of human beings 

 in miniature. The monkeys also show to good advantage because 

 cages are less confining for them than for the great apes such as 

 the gorilla and the orangutan. 



The Rhesus Monkey: As you watch a family of rhesus monkeys 

 chasing each other, chattering and occasionally screaming, it is 

 easy for you to picture them in their native jungles of India. 

 They behave there pretty much the same way, quarreling and 

 screeching at each other one moment, then suddenly quieting 

 down and grooming each other's fur. Thousands of rhesus monkeys 

 are brought to the United States each year to be placed in zoos 

 or to be used for medical research. 



Swinging by the Tail: The woolly monkey is one of the largest 

 of the species native to South America. When you see one at the 

 zoo, it is interesting to contrast its antics with the gambols of 

 the rhesus. You can observe the woolly monkey swing daringly 

 from branches or bars by its tail. No matter how long you watch 

 the rhesus, it will never duplicate this feat. The point is that the 

 woolly monkey is one of the species that has a prehensile tail a 

 "grasping" tail that functions in effect as a fifth limb or extra hand. 

 Only the monkeys of Central and South America have a pre^ 

 hensile tail. The species with the longest tail of the monkey tribe 



