Monkey Lice

Lice belong to the order Phthiraptera. These wingless insects feature short antennae and bear large eggs that cling to hair or fur. Lice spend their life cycle with one host or transmit host-to-host through body contact. Without the ability to jump or fly, lice cannot survive for more than a few hours without their host.

  1. History

    • According to BioMed Central, lice of primates shared more than 25 million years of co-evolution. Lice evolved mouth parts to feed on their host's blood.

    Insecticide

    • Monkeys sometimes use the giant African millipede as a natural insecticide. Monkeys roll and bite this foot-long millipede to release defensive toxins, such as hydrochloric acid, to repel pests from their skin.

    Chimpanzee Lice

    • Chimpanzee lice belong to the genus Pediculus schaeffi in the form of head lice. Human head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) and chimpanzee lice shared common ancestry about six million years ago, according to BioMed Central.

    Gorilla Lice

    • Gorilla lice belong to the genus Pthirus gorilla in the form of pubic lice. University of Florida researchers compared DNA of lice taken from primates at Ugandan wildlife sanctuaries with fossil data of gorillas and humans. About 3.3 million years ago, gorilla lice and human pubic hair lice (Pthirus pubis) shared common ancestors.