Monkeys do not have fingerprints. They are part of the primate family which includes lemurs and lorises in addition to monkeys themselves. However, the family of primates to which monkeys belong is known as the haplorhines. Humans are also in the haplorhines, although we are part of another subfamily called hominines. The subfamily of primates to which humans belong is one that contains apes as well as monkeys.
Therefore monkeys do not have fingerprints. They do have other distinguishing characteristics that they share with all primates though including an opposable thumb and a big toe with two phalanges or toes in front of it.
Monkeys are members of the haplorhine subfamily of primates to which humans belong, but we are all part of the superfamily of mammals. This superfamily also includes bats and dolphins, although they have little in common with humans or monkeys.
Do Monkeys have Unique Fingerprints?
It has been found that animals in the haplorhine family, or monkeys, do not have unique fingerprints. However, those of us who belong to the hominine subfamily do have unique fingerprints. A monkey’s unique fingerprints are not different in any way from those of humans and are actually similar to our unique fingerprints.
What Animals Have Fingerprints?
Humans are the only primates with fingerprints and we have unique fingerprints. However, there are other animals that do have fingerprints, although in the case of these animals they actually have a special kind of tactile sense that we do not have.
koalas, Gorrilas and Chimpanzees have styloid processes. A styloid process is a bony structure that is located in a part of the body called the wrist. Animals with these kinds of structures do have something similar to fingerprints since the skin and bones in this area have to adapt in order to accommodate this special kind of structure.
How do Monkeys Recognize Each Other?
Monkeys use their brains to recognize each other. Their brains are very similar in structure to ours and they have the same kinds of specializations for recognizing faces that we do. If you look at a photograph of a monkey, you will see that it has two separate sources of visual information: one for seeing the front of its face and another for seeing the back of its face.
The area of the brain dedicated to this kind of recognition is called a fusiform gyrus ( faciem is Latin for face). This fusiform gyrus is located in the temporal lobes of the brain and is very close to the part of the brain that allows us to recognize other mammals, such as dogs or cats.
Interesting Facts about Monkeys and Fingerprints
Some interesting facts about fingerprints are that they can be created in a very short space of time. This is because in order to have fingerprints you do not need to have an actual skin or fur structure yet. You only need a fur-like texture to stick to your fingers.
Hair and skin have this kind of texture which makes them ideal for making fingerprints. If you compare a monkey’s hand to a human’s hand, the monkey’s skin is very similar in texture to the skin on a human’s hands.
It is also true that humans have fingerprints that are more similar to those of monkeys than those of another primate species. This sets up the evolutionary pattern where monkeys and humans have unique fingerprints first and then primates have them second.
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
