Monkey See, Monkey Do at the Singapore Zoo!

 

*This post is especially meant for my nephew and niece, and for my friend’s children as well.  It also applies to all of us grownups who still have a child-like enthusiasm inside of us.

 

**Be sure to check out the rest of the animals I saw at the Singapore Zoo!

 

It’s monkey see, monkey do at the Singapore Zoo all day long!  I walked around and saw what seemed like a hundred different types of monkeys at the zoo!  I didn’t know there were that many, did you?  There were monkeys over here, monkeys over there, why there were monkeys practically everywhere!  They made their presence known, chatting and clapping all the day long.  When it came to feeding time, they spun on a dime.  Grabbing, clawing, wrestling, jawing, these monkeys sure liked their grub!

So come along with me on a journey.  (Here is a Singapore Zoo map you can even put on your knee).  Let’s see how many different types of monkeys there just might be.  Here at the Singapore Zoo!

 

 

I saw tiny squirrel monkeys with small hands chowing down on bananas and nuts.  They sure looked hungry to me!  They all went as fast as they could to the food when they saw the zoo helper putting those yummy treats out!  Then they tried to steal as much as they could from one another, and if they did they swung to a place where they were all by themselves, and then ate their morsel of food in peace.

 

 

I saw monkeys with crazy noses too!  This is the proboscis monkey, and it is a female.  You can tell the difference between a male and a female by their noses.  This one looked tired.  I think she was ready for a mid-morning nap.  Or maybe she was thinking about all the homework she still needed to do over the weekend before she had to go back to monkey school on Monday.

 

 

This is a male proboscis monkey!  Look how big his nose is!  It’s like somebody hit his nose with a hammer and then used a rolling pin to make it so long!  Maybe that’s what the monkey doctors do when the babies are born.  “Oh, Dr. Boscis, this is a male monkey.  Hand me the hammer and rolling pin.  This guy looks like he is going to be a leader someday so let’s make sure his nose is nice and big.”

 

 

This is a mother and baby proboscis monkey!  The Singapore Zoo is one of the best in the world at getting proboscis monkeys to have children.  They are really thriving here and these two sure look like they are doing well!  I think the baby is a little scared yet to venture out on her own though.  Look at how big the mother’s hands are!

 

 

It’s lunchtime!  At the Singapore Zoo there are scheduled feeding times for all the monkeys and if you want you can follow the zookeepers around as they feed each type of monkey and tell you a little about them.  This white-faced saki monkey sure looks different from the others we have seen so far.  His face almost looks like the peanut he is eating!  The Singapore Zoo is unique in that they don’t have caged enclosures.  The animals are maintained in habitats that closely resemble their true living environments.  The zookeepers say it makes for happy animals, and happy animals means happy visitors too!

 

 

I think this hairy Hamadryas baboon is in need of a haircut!  He is so shaggy you can barely see his arms, legs, face, or ears!  Do you think he is counting with his hands how many other baboons are around him?  Maybe he is doing a math homework assignment.  Or maybe he is thinking how hot it is to have long hair in the sweltering country of Singapore.  But this particular baboon species is from the Horn of Africa so maybe they are used to the heat?  Do you think it is called the Horn of Africa because they found a bunch of horns in the ground there?  Or maybe it is because that region in Africa is shaped similar to a horn?  Maybe you should ask Mom and Dad to help you look it up and find out where the Horn of Africa is and why it is named that way.

 

 

Look at this cute monkey easily climbing from branch to branch!  The Douc Langur monkey is one smooth looking monkey, if I say so myself.  I bet this monkey gets out of all kinds of trouble by showing his parents his “I’m sorry” face!  What do you think?  Do you think this monkey looks like he is innocent?  Or is he running away from trouble again?  Maybe he was supposed to clean his room but hadn’t got around to it yet…

 

 

Uh-oh!  This brown-tufted capuchin monkey looks like he is sneaking around!  Maybe he is trying to hide from his sister!  Or maybe he is trying to sneak up on his friends!  Or maybe, just maybe, he did something wrong and knows it was a bad thing and now he doesn’t want to get caught and get in trouble!

 

 

Whoa!  Look at the tails on these monkeys!  Those are so long – I wonder what they are used for?  I bet they are used to help the Colobus monkey keep their balance.  What do you think?  I haven’t seen very many monkeys that are black and white in color.  Maybe it is related to the skunk?  This monkey family looks like it is settling down to a family dinner so perhaps we should leave them alone for now…

 

 

Ahh…the orang utan.  This is the Bornean orang utan, which comes from Borneo, Malaysia.  She looks pretty bored, don’t you think?  Maybe today is a day to relax and rest and watch all the other orang utans.  Did you know that the orang utan is an ape, not a monkey?  Find out the difference between monkeys and apes.

 

 

Hmm…this orang utan looks like she is deep in thought.  Maybe she is thinking about that Social Studies assignment she still has to do.  Maybe she needs to learn the capitals of all the states.  Or maybe she needs to learn the countries in South-East Asia.  Now where exactly is Borneo, Malaysia?  Maybe you should ask Mom and Dad to help you find it on a map.

 

 

It looks like this squirrel monkey is eating her lunch upside-down!  I think this brother and sister enjoy eating their lunch together far too much!  Maybe they always monkey around when it is time to eat!  Do you think monkeys call it monkeying around or do you think they call it clowning around?  Or maybe since they are squirrel monkeys they call it squirreling around?  Maybe these monkeys goof around all the time and they yell at each other if they are boring.

 

 

Those are the longest arms I have ever seen!  I think this gibbon (which is a lesser ape) would be great at playing basketball!  He wouldn’t even have to jump very high to dunk it!  I bet he might even be a better soccer goalie!  Just think, he could stand in the middle of the goal and just reach his arms left and right and cover all of the goal!  Wow, I wish I had arms like that when I was playing soccer.

 

I saw some other things at the Singapore Zoo too:

 

 

This meerkat is on the alert!  She is keeping watch for hawks and birds and other predators and if she spots any she warns all of her friends and family.  Now that is teamwork!

 

 

Wow, that is one spiky haircut!  I think this bird might win the award for coolest haircut in the kingdom!  I think I had a spiked haircut when I was a kid.  After I took a shower I spiked my wet hair and then told my parents I think I will wear my hair like that for the day.  I don’t remember if they were amused or not…

 

 

This parakeet looks like she is hiding, only poking her head out to see what is going on in the world.  What is going on in your world today?  Is it a school day, a weekend play day, or maybe it is night-time and after dinner you have to finish up your homework.  Whatever time it is, be sure to make it a fun time!