Catarrhina

Catarrhina

 

a group of monkeys of the suborder Anthropoi-dea. Catarrhine monkeys, except for the genus Colobus, have a narrow nasal septum and nostrils directed downward. Body length varies from 35 cm, in the case of the talopoin, to 175 cm, in the case of the gorilla. The brain is well developed. There are 32 teeth, and throat pouches are present. In most species the tail is long; in some, such as the pig-tailed ape and mandrill, it is short, while in others, such as the Barbary ape and anthropoid apes, it is absent. The fur and certain parts of the skin are sometimes brightly colored. In lower catarrhine monkeys there are cheek pouches, except in the family Colobinae, as well as buttock pads, which are only slightly developed in gibbons.

Catarrhine monkeys, which are distributed in Africa and Asia, live in troops or family groups. There are two superfamilies: lower Catarrhina, consisting of the single family Cercopithecidae, and anthropoid primates, consisting of the group of anthropoid apes (families Hylobatidae and Pongidae) and the family Hominidae.