This annotated list of individual monkeys includes
monkeys who are in some way famous or notable. The list does not include
notable apes or
fictional primates.
Govi – (
capuchin) played
Sophocles in the 1993–1994 sitcom Monkey Please, Sophocles! that aired in
Azerbaijan as a satire of the political climate in the country at the time.[1]
Able (
rhesus macaque) and
Miss Baker (
Peruvian squirrel monkey), both female – the first monkeys sent into space who survived the experience. They were launched on 28 May 1959 in the nose cone of a
Jupiter AM-18 missile as a test of
NASA's launch facilities at
Cape Canaveral and procedures for retrieving astronauts after
splashdown. Miss Able died a few days after the mission, but Miss Baker lived another 25 years.[3]
Albert I – (rhesus monkey) the first primate and first mammal launched on a rocket (a June 18, 1948
V-2 flight), although it did not reach space.
Albert II – (rhesus monkey) the first primate and first mammal in space, June 14, 1949. Died upon hitting the ground due to a parachute failure
Britches – (
stump-tailed macaque) removed from his mother at birth, Britches was left alone with his eyes sewn shut as part of a study into blindness. He was rescued by the
Animal Liberation Front, which publicized the condition he was found in, and the experiment was shut down.
Gordo (also known as "Old Reliable") – (
squirrel monkey) He was launched in the US Jupiter AM-13 Rocket in 1958, but was lost after a technical failure at the end of the mission.
Hellion – (
capuchin) trained by Mary Joan Willard to assist disabled people, was the first trainee to be placed. In 1979, Hellion started assisting a
quadriplegic, Robert Foster, with chores and general assistance.[4]
Miss Sam – (
rhesus macaque) sent into space under the Little Joe program in 1960.[5]
Darwin, a Japanese macaque who earned notoriety as the "
Ikea Monkey"
Fred, euthanized in March 2011. Fred had a reputation for stealing food anywhere he could, but when he turned too aggressive, he was caught and controversially euthanized.
Jocko Flocko, unofficial 'codriver' for
Tim Flock who was in the car when he won a race at
Hickory Motor Speedway in 1953. He 'retired' two weeks later at
Raleigh Speedway after being struck by a pebble and attacking Flock.
Jack, known as Jack the Signalman
[1].[8] This baboon was reputed to have become an expert at working the railroad signals for the Cape Government Railway.
Loon, lived at the
San Diego Zoo and was trained to accept blood draws and insulin injections to treat his diabetes.
Ramu, arrested and kept behind bars in India for 5 years on the charge of disturbing communal harmony. At the age of three, while under the care of a family, Ramu attacked some children. This sparked communal riots in the Jagannathpur village, ultimately leading to Ramu's arrest.
This annotated list of individual monkeys includes
monkeys who are in some way famous or notable. The list does not include
notable apes or
fictional primates.
Govi – (
capuchin) played
Sophocles in the 1993–1994 sitcom Monkey Please, Sophocles! that aired in
Azerbaijan as a satire of the political climate in the country at the time.[1]
Able (
rhesus macaque) and
Miss Baker (
Peruvian squirrel monkey), both female – the first monkeys sent into space who survived the experience. They were launched on 28 May 1959 in the nose cone of a
Jupiter AM-18 missile as a test of
NASA's launch facilities at
Cape Canaveral and procedures for retrieving astronauts after
splashdown. Miss Able died a few days after the mission, but Miss Baker lived another 25 years.[3]
Albert I – (rhesus monkey) the first primate and first mammal launched on a rocket (a June 18, 1948
V-2 flight), although it did not reach space.
Albert II – (rhesus monkey) the first primate and first mammal in space, June 14, 1949. Died upon hitting the ground due to a parachute failure
Britches – (
stump-tailed macaque) removed from his mother at birth, Britches was left alone with his eyes sewn shut as part of a study into blindness. He was rescued by the
Animal Liberation Front, which publicized the condition he was found in, and the experiment was shut down.
Gordo (also known as "Old Reliable") – (
squirrel monkey) He was launched in the US Jupiter AM-13 Rocket in 1958, but was lost after a technical failure at the end of the mission.
Hellion – (
capuchin) trained by Mary Joan Willard to assist disabled people, was the first trainee to be placed. In 1979, Hellion started assisting a
quadriplegic, Robert Foster, with chores and general assistance.[4]
Miss Sam – (
rhesus macaque) sent into space under the Little Joe program in 1960.[5]
Darwin, a Japanese macaque who earned notoriety as the "
Ikea Monkey"
Fred, euthanized in March 2011. Fred had a reputation for stealing food anywhere he could, but when he turned too aggressive, he was caught and controversially euthanized.
Jocko Flocko, unofficial 'codriver' for
Tim Flock who was in the car when he won a race at
Hickory Motor Speedway in 1953. He 'retired' two weeks later at
Raleigh Speedway after being struck by a pebble and attacking Flock.
Jack, known as Jack the Signalman
[1].[8] This baboon was reputed to have become an expert at working the railroad signals for the Cape Government Railway.
Loon, lived at the
San Diego Zoo and was trained to accept blood draws and insulin injections to treat his diabetes.
Ramu, arrested and kept behind bars in India for 5 years on the charge of disturbing communal harmony. At the age of three, while under the care of a family, Ramu attacked some children. This sparked communal riots in the Jagannathpur village, ultimately leading to Ramu's arrest.