DUSKY LEAF MONKEY

Dusky Leaf Monkey

In this age of social chaos, it's refreshing to learn that there is one sweet-natured primate left on the planet.  Yup, it prefers to focus on reconciliation in the event of aggression within the group.  The Dusky Leaf Monkey, found primarily in the tropical forests of Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, is one of the cutest monkeys ever.  They communicate in murmurs and squeaks that are absolutely adorable. 

Their babies are born bright orange and at around six months they develop their adult dark grey coat.  The adults have white circles around their eyes and their mouths.   This white color pattern is shown also on top of their heads and on their stomachs.  Interestingly, they have a 4-chambered stomach, similar to a cow, allowing them to digest the lush jungle foliage that makes up the bulk of their diets.  

 Their hands and feet are very similar to that of humans, with well-developed fingers and opposing thumbs.

AFRICAN PROVERB:  You cannot convince a monkey that honey is sweeter than banana.  This proverb means that it's pointless to try to convince someone who is stubborn or set in their ways.

POLISH PROVERB:  Not my circus, not my monkeys.  It's a way of saying.......don't drag me into your drama and your issues--I'm not getting involved.

SOUTH SUDAN PROVERB:  When the monkey can't reach the ripe banana with his hand, he says it is not sweet.  This means that someone will often criticize or downplay something they can't attain or achieve.  Essentially they are making excuses for their own limitations instead of acknowledging their inability to reach it.  It's a metaphor for people who dismiss opportunities or successes they cannot access, often by claiming it isn't valuable or desirable.

Monkeys play center stage when it comes to proverbs and sayings.....

Make a monkey out of someone:  to make someone look foolish or silly.

Monkey business:  describes dishonest behavior.

A monkey on your back:  a problem that's difficult to get rid of or solve.

Monkey's uncle:  to express surprise, amazement or disbelief.  "I'll be a monkey's uncle!"

Brass monkeys:  cold weather.

The higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his tail:  The more someone achieves, the more they show off.

Monkey around:  behave in a silly way.

Monkey see, monkey do:  copying someone's actions.

More fun than a barrel of monkeys:  means to have a lot of fun. 

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys:  means you get what you pay for.

Grease monkey:  a mechanic who works on automobiles or aircraft.

A monkey suit:  a tuxedo, can often make a man look a little foolish. 

There are about 267 species of monkeys in the world.  Humans are more closely related to apes than monkeys.  Humans and apes share a common ancestor that lived between 7 and 9 million years ago....according to the theory of evolution.

My personal....humble....complex....and baffling curious question:  At what point in the evolutionary process did the SOUL come into existence?