Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park (September 1915): Thirteenth EditionHornaday, William T. (William Temple)
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Popular Official Guide to the New York Zoological Park (September 1915): Thirteenth Edition
Hornaday, William T. (William Temple)
New York Zoological Park
The Sapajous are the hardiest, the most intelligent and in some respects
the most interesting of the New World monkeys. They all possess the
prehensile (or grasping) tail, _which is not found on any Old World
monkey_, and the use made of it is a constant source of wonder. Monkeys
of this species are quite common in captivity, and their wrinkled brows
and serious countenances give them an appearance of being burdened with
cares,—which most captive monkeys certainly are! These are the
unfortunate creatures which so often come to grief on hand-organs.
The Black Spider Monkey and the Gray Spider Monkey represent a genus of
animals quite as attenuated in form as the gibbons. Their slender
bodies, exceedingly long and slender legs and tail,—the latter strongly
prehensile, and better than a fifth arm and hand,—give them when in the
tree-tops an appearance truly spider-like. They are agile climbers, but
not rapid runners, and having no means of defense are very timid. Their
stomachs are so simple they seem to lack some element or function that
is necessary to the life of the animal in captivity. Notwithstanding the
fact that “Jess,” of Bath, New York, in defiance of all laws and
precedents, _lived thirteen years in a cold climate_, the great majority
of spider monkeys die before they reach full maturity, and nearly always
of stomach troubles. Fortunately, however, there are exceptions to this
rule.
[Illustration: JAPANESE RED-FACED MONKEY.]
[Illustration: PIG-TAILED MACAQUE.]
The Squirrel Monkey, often called a “Marmoset,” is a pretty little
olive-yellow monkey, almost as delicate as the true Marmoset, and the
Pinche. These diminutive creatures are so delicate they require the
greatest care and tenderness, and thrive better in moderately small
cages than in large ones. True marmosets are the smallest of American
primates, being next in size to the Tarsier, of Borneo, smallest of all
quadrumanes.
The Lemurs and Lemuroids.—A lemur is a monkey-like animal belonging to
the lowest group of primates, but in some respects is so little like a
typical monkey that the relationship is not always apparent. There are
about thirty species, and all save a very few are found on the Island of
Madagascar. They are gentle-spirited, harmless and inoffensive animals,
and not being persecuted by their human neighbors, as all American wild
animals are, they are quite numerous.
Nearly all the Lemurs have long tails, long and fine hair, large eyes
and pointed muzzles. Many of them are strikingly colored in various
shades of black, white and gray. All Lemurs are supposed to be of
nocturnal habit, and in fact they really are; but the specimens in the
large jungle cage of the Primate House are quite as lively and
interesting in the daytime as most of the monkeys. So far from
manifesting a disposition to retire to dark corners, they love to lie in
the sunshine.
[Illustration: SLOW LEMUR.]
[Illustration: SIAMANG.]
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