Astounding Facts About Primates that Never Cease to Amaze

9. A group of monkeys is called a barrel.
Did you ever play with a barrel of monkeys as a kid? The plastic “barrel” contained dozens of monkeys that could be linked together into a chain. The famous toymakers probably got the idea from the fact that a group of monkeys is called — wait for it — a barrel, though it can also be known as a troop. A barrel of monkeys can consist of a few dozen to over a hundred family members who look out for each other. Many other groups of primates, including gorillas, are also known as troops. A group of apes has a name that is quite fitting for the high intelligence level of the species, a shrewdness.

There is a popular misconception that a group of baboons is called a congress, but this assertion is false. The idea that members of congress are like baboons may be amusing to some, but baboons and the researchers who study them may take offense! These Old World monkeys are brilliant and live in groups that are known as troops. Because they are opportunistic eaters who taste fruits, vegetables, and meat, they often become pests to farmers in places where they thrive, especially in Africa. Some fans of The Lion King believe that the sagacious Rafiki is a baboon, and he is referred to as such in the movie, but baboons do not have tails, and Rafiki does. He is most likely a mandril monkey.