How Smart are Monkeys?

Like other primates, monkeys are among the smartest animals. Biologists think that monkeys can remember where different fruit trees are. They can even remember when the fruit gets ripe.

Monkeys communicate with one another. They make signs with parts of their bodies. They call out to one another.

Biologists believe that baboons deceive, or fool, one another. This means that one baboon has to think about what another baboon is thinking.

Most monkeys use their intelligence to protect themselves from enemies. For example, capuchins try to scare off enemies. They urinate on enemies from high in the trees. They jump up and down to make dead branches fall on the enemies on the ground.