Monkeys in Florida?

Photo by Jenny Venturo

You may think that monkeys are a far away, tropical animal that you’ll never be able to see except at a zoo. But what many of us don’t realize is that there are moneys right under our noses in Florida.

The sun was shining as we paddled down the Silver River in central Florida. There were anhingas and herons all along the banks, and the occasional alligator sunned itself on a log. We had brought our goggles so that we could peer into the water from the paddleboards, and we were enjoying looking at the fish and manatees. Then,

Photo by Jenny Venturo

An Anhinga

Photo by Jenny Venturo

One of 20 gators we counted on the Silver River

“Guys, there’s monkeys in that tree!” whisper-shouted Joe and Daniel.

My head shot out of the water. There were monkeys everywhere—in the trees, sitting on cypress knees, and fighting in the bushes. Mom just couldn’t stop snapping pictures! Everyone watched with bated breath as Mom’s camera clicked away. We had seen a tropical animal in the US!

Photo by Jenny Venturo

We got right up close to this Rhesus Macaque

We found out later that 6 kinds of monkeys live in Florida—Vervets, Capuchins, Crab-eating Macaques, Squirrel Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, and Rhesus Macaques, which is what we saw. Rhesus Macaques are the most common and widespread. They feed on bugs, plants, fruit, birds, and small mammals. These monkeys were introduced from Southern Asia to the whole state of Florida.

Photo by Jenny Venturo

When it started to rain, this monkey became a little concerned . . .

Next time you’re out in God’s creation, look for other exotic creatures. You just never know!

Photo by Jenny Venturo

We think this one was the mother

Video by Jenny Venturo

It's hard to know how to behave when you're put on the spot . . .

Information from: Wikipedia