Question

What are some differences between a monkey's and a human skeleton?

Answer 1

Humans:

1. Human beings are primates along with other animals such as monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, etc.
2. Humans can stand erect and walk on two legs.
3. A bigger and more complex brain gives humans better cognitive abilities.
4. They use complex language to communicate with one another.
5. They produce their food and live in permanent settlements.
6. Humans develop social networks and care for their young ones.

Monkeys:

1. Monkeys are arboreal, can sit straight, and use all four limbs to leap across trees.
2. They are social animals usually living in large groups.
3. The female bears only one offspring and nurtures it for many years.
4. They can grasp objects with their fingers and toes.
5. They communicate vocally, with facial expressions, and body language.

Although there is a 98% similarity between the human and monkey genomes, they do possess certain differences in their skeleton which are described below:

Monkey	Humans
They have a smaller skull size.	The size of the human skull is three times larger than that of monkeys.
They display facial prognathism which means that their face protrudes beyond the top part of the skull.	Humans display orthognathic faces which means they have flat faces.
They lack a forehead and chin.	Humans possess a forehead. They are the only primates to possess a chin.
They have sharp and prominent canines in the upper jaw.	The teeth and jaws are smaller. All the teeth are of the same size across both jaws.
The foramen magnum is a hole in the bottom of the skull through which the spinal cord passes. It is located at the back of the skull which causes the spinal cord to exit at an angle.	In humans, the foramen magnum is located centrally which allows us to stand vertically and promotes bipedalism.