Here are some points of view to observe monkeys.

You can see monkeys up close in the park though; binoculars are also useful, it show you monkeys in more detail.

Physical characteristics

All animals have own physical characteristics for adaptation of circumstances and predation. What are the differences among monkeys, dogs and cats?

The Japanese Macaque has two facing forward eyes which can see things stereoscopically. So they can recognize the distance correctly when they make a jump from tree to tree. Dogs’ eyes are on slightly lateral in their face, which can see a wide range and good for hunting.

How about ears, nose and mouth? Let’s observe.

The Japanese macaque has distinctive hands and feet, similar in form and function to those of humans. They put those hands to skillful use when grasping things, picking up small objects and so forth, which is particularly useful because they live and gather food in forest environments. Contrast these to the front and back legs of a cat, for example: The feline is able to run about silently, enabling it to sneak up on prey, and its sharp claws prevent catches from escaping its grasp.

Take some time to watch how the Japanese macaque uses its hands and feet. It is also worth looking at shape of their entire body, as well as the length of their tail and how they use it.

Observation of behavior

Japanese Macaque and human are in the group of ape, so we have very similar behaviors. That means we can imagine the meaning of monkeys’ behaviors easier than other animals’.

Individual recognition

If you want to know about the society and behaviors of monkeys deeper, you should understand relationships among monkeys first. Is their relationship parent and child, siblings or another? Look carefully when you find monkeys cuddling each other.

Each monkey has different face, same as human. You come to be able to recognize each face once you are familiar to it. It is in the same manner as we memorize our friends’ face. To memorize monkeys’ face and to recognize every single monkey, it is called individual recognition. Let’s try to recognize their face, it makes your monkey observation more fun.