This List of Endangered Monkeys Highlights the Need for Conservation

A Critical Situation

Of the 80 monkey species that are considered endangered, 28 are listed as critically endangered. That means they face a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

Right now, as many as 80 species of monkeys are threatened with extinction. And yet, they rarely make the news the way tigers or rhinos do. Part of the reason is that there are so many species — and subspecies — of monkeys in the world. Most people have never even heard of some of them.

There are approximately 260 known species of monkeys worldwide. Scientists split them into two groups: New World monkeys, found in Central and South America and parts of Mexico, and Old World monkeys, found in Africa and Asia. Many species are still common in the wild — but others turn up again and again on the danger lists kept by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

IUCN Classification

On the basis of the relative risk of extinction, the IUCN classifies threatened species into different categories.

• Critically endangered species (CR): Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
• Endangered species (EN): Very high risk of extinction in the wild
• Vulnerable (VU): High risk of extinction in the wild*

*The species enlisted as vulnerable are the ones that are likely to become endangered.

List of Endangered Monkeys

CR Critically Endangered    EN Endangered

Vulnerable Species

Vulnerable species are those likely to become endangered if nothing changes. Sadly, the list of vulnerable monkeys is nearly as long as the endangered list. If conservation efforts do not improve soon, the endangered list could become twice as long in the near future.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many monkey species are endangered?

About 80 species of monkeys are threatened with extinction, and 28 of those are critically endangered.

What are the two main groups of monkeys?

New World monkeys, found in Central and South America and Mexico, and Old World monkeys, found in Africa and Asia.

Who decides if a monkey is endangered?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies species as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.

Why are monkeys becoming endangered?

The main reasons are excessive hunting, loss of habitat from logging and farming, and capture for traditional medicine and the pet trade.

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Why Are Monkeys Endangered?

Scientists and conservation workers have noticed that the numbers of many monkey species are falling. What worries them most is how fast that decline is happening. Over the last decade or so, the drop has been steep. In most cases, the following factors are to blame.

Excessive Hunting

Several monkey species are hunted for their meat. The Roloway monkey and Pennant's Red Colobus, both found in Africa, are two well-known examples. Other species, like Miss Waldron's Red Colobus and the Mt. Uarges Guereza — a subspecies of Mantled Guereza — are killed for their skin, which is sold in international markets.

Loss of Habitat

Monkeys are losing their homes. Illegal logging, clearing land for farms, and growing human settlements are shrinking their natural habitat fast. When forests are cut up into smaller and smaller patches, monkeys can't find enough food or mates. That makes it much harder for them to survive and breed.

Other Factors

Some monkeys are killed for their body parts, which are used in traditional medicine. This still happens today in several parts of the world. On top of that, the demand for pet monkeys is growing. To catch them, hunters set snares that often wound or kill the animals — even those that escape. Learn why monkeys don't make good pets.

The endangered monkey list keeps growing longer every year. If hunting, habitat loss, and the pet trade are not brought under control, many of the species on this list today will eventually vanish from the wild completely — and some of the most fascinating animals on Earth will be gone forever.

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