New World monkeys are the five families of
primates that are found in
Central and
South America and portions of Mexico:
Callitrichidae,
Cebidae,
Aotidae,
Pitheciidae, and
Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the
Platyrrhini parvorder and the
Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since Ceboidea is the only living platyrrhine superfamily. Platyrhini means flat-nosed, and their noses are flatter than those of other simians, with sideways-facing nostrils. Monkeys in the family Atelidae, such as the
spider monkey, are the only primates to have
prehensile tails. New World monkeys' closest relatives are the other
simians, the
Catarrhini ("down-nosed," comprising
Old World monkeys and
apes). New World monkeys descend from African simians that colonized South America, a line that split off about 40 million years ago.