It is a common question whether a gorilla is a type of monkey, and the direct answer is no. Gorillas are not monkeys; they belong to a different primate group known as apes. These differences highlight primate diversity and classification.
What Defines a Monkey?
Monkeys are a diverse group of primates found across various parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas. A prominent characteristic distinguishing most monkeys is the presence of a tail, which can be long and used for balance, or even prehensile, acting as a fifth limb for grasping in New World monkeys. They generally exhibit a more quadrupedal form of locomotion, meaning they typically walk on all fours. Their dental structure includes bilophodont molars, characterized by four cusps arranged in two parallel pairs.
What Defines an Ape?
Apes, in contrast to monkeys, are characterized by the absence of an external tail. Apes also display a more upright posture and possess greater flexibility in their shoulder joints, which allows for a wider range of motion, including some forms of brachiation or arm swinging. Their dental pattern differs, featuring Y5 molars with five cusps separated by a Y-shaped groove. Gorillas, along with chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and humans, are classified as great apes.
Key Distinctions and Primate Classification
Key Distinctions
The primary distinction between monkeys and apes, including gorillas, is the presence or absence of a tail. Monkeys possess tails, which they use for various functions like balance or grasping, while apes do not have external tails, though they retain a tailbone (coccyx). Locomotion also differs significantly; monkeys are predominantly quadrupedal, whereas apes exhibit a more varied range of movements, including knuckle-walking in gorillas and chimpanzees, and a greater capacity for upright posture and brachiation. Apes generally have larger body and brain sizes than monkeys, reflecting differing evolutionary paths and cognitive capacities.
Primate Classification
Both monkeys and apes belong to the order Primates. Monkeys fall under infraorders like Platyrrhini (New World monkeys) and Catarrhini (Old World monkeys), with Old World monkeys belonging to the superfamily Cercopithecoidea. Apes, on the other hand, are classified under the superfamily Hominoidea. Gorillas specifically are members of the Family Hominidae, Subfamily Homininae, and Genus Gorilla, firmly placing them within the ape lineage. The evolutionary divergence between Old World monkeys and apes is estimated to have occurred approximately 25 to 30 million years ago, leading to their distinct anatomical and behavioral traits.