Primates

New World Monkeys

• Diverse body types and natural histories, but all have predominantly tree dwelling, or arboreal, lifestyles
• Some species have prehensile tails, which can function as a third hand or foot for grasping or holding
• Do not have cheek pouches for storing food
• Native to Central and South America

Old World Monkeys

• Generally, arms and legs are the same length
• Have cheek pouches for storing food
• May have prominent pads on their rear ends (ischial callosities)
• Never have prehensile tails
• Native to Africa, Asia and a small portion of the Arabian Peninsula

Apes

This group is comprised of the gibbons (commonly referred to as lesser apes) and the great apes: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans.

Specifically, gibbons (lesser apes):

• Live in the forest canopy and subsist primarily on fruit
• Move through the forest canopy using a motion that relies on the arms without any assistance from the legs (brachiation)
• Live in monogamous pairings
• Both adult males and females provide direct care for offspring
• Native to Asia

Great Apes

• Largest of all primates
• Arms are longer than legs and can locomote using all four limbs simultaneously (except humans—legs longer than arms and exclusively bipedal as adults)
• All have thumbs, although the degree of opposability of the thumb varies by species
• Have opposable big toes used for grasping and climbing (except humans)
• Have hair that is evenly distributed over the body
• Females have similar gestation lengths and adults provide care to offspring for many years before they are self-sufficient
• Capable of full shoulder rotation
• Distinct mental abilities compared to all other primates
• Gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos are native to Africa; orangutans are native to Asia; humans occur throughout most of the globe

References

Shumaker, R. & Beck, B. (2003) Primates in Question. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C.

Primate Family Tree

In general, primates share these physical features:

• Forward facing eyes (results in depth perception) and color vision are typical
• Two arms and two legs, rather than four legs
• Hands and feet (not paws)
• Most species have nails rather than claws
• Opposable set of digits
• Easily visible fingerprints which can be used for individual identification

Most primates:

• Give birth to one offspring at a time
• Have offspring that have a long period of dependence and relatively slow rates of overall maturation
• Have large brains relative to their body sizes

How closely are humans related to other primates?

• Humans, chimpanzees and bonobos share 98.4 percent of the same DNA sequence
• Gorillas share 97.7 percent of their DNA with humans, chimpanzees and bonobos
• Orangutans share 96.4 percent of their DNA with humans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas