COMMON NAME: primates
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Primates
FAMILY: 13 extant families
GENUS SPECIES: 233 extant species


DESCRIPTION: Long arms with opposable thumbs; body hair over most of body; shortened nose (rostrum); forward-looking eyes; opposable first digits on forelimbs and hind limbs
SIZE: Varies according to species
WEIGHT: The smallest living primate is the pygmy mouse lemur, which weighs approximately 30 g (1.05 lbs). The largest is the gorilla, which weighs on average of about 175 kg (385 lbs).
DIET: Some species eat leaves or fruit; others are insectivorous or carnivorous; certain species are omnivorous
GESTATION: Varies according to species
SEXUAL MATURITY: Varies according to species
LIFE SPAN: Varies according to species
RANGE: Varies according to species
HABITAT: Most dwell in tropical forests
STATUS: IUCN Certain species are listed
CITES All primates are at least Appendix II
USFWS Certain species are listed


1. Baboons have complex social structures with anywhere from 8 to 200 individuals per troop. They use at least 10 different vocalizations to communicate. When traveling as a group, males will lead; females and young stay safe in the middle and less dominant males bring up the rear. Young chimps learn to create tools from objects in their environment by watching others; they use sticks to extract termites to eat and crumple leaves to soak up water to drink.
3. Lemurs get their name from the Ancient Roman belief that they were ghosts or spirits. They were mistaken for specters because of their nocturnal, stealth habits.
4. Lemurs rely on their sense of smell as a way of communicating with other animals. They have special scent glands on their wrists and bottoms that leave scent trails on branches to mark their territories.
7. "Marmoset" is derived from the French "marmouset" which means, loosely, shrimp or dwarf. An apt name, considering they are the smallest of the true monkeys (the lightest of the true monkeys is the pygmy marmoset).
8. These monkeys use their specialized claws to establish a firm grip on tree trunks and gnaw little holes in the bark with their lower incisors and canines. This causes the tree to produce more sap, which is used to seal injuries to the bark. This tree sap is a valuable source of carbohydrates and minerals.
10. The spider monkey's prehensile tail acts as an extra limb. The tail has a hairless patch on the tip that is used for grip. This hairless patch is unique in its markings, just like the human fingerprint.
11. A female spider monkey's clitoris is very protuberant and can be mistaken for a penis. It acts as a reservoir for urine. The male is able to smell when a female is in estrus.







Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol. I. Baltimore: Johns-Hopkins University Press, 1991.
