A primate is any mammal of the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. The order Primates, with its 300 or more species, is the third most diverse order of mammals, after rodents and bats. A number of traits set primates apart from other orders of placental mammals. Primates evolved from tree-living, or arboreal, ancestors. As a result, many primate traits are adaptations for life in the trees. Living in trees requires good grasping ability. Being able to judge distances is also important. Primates have five digits (fingers or toes) on each extremity. Unlike... Show more

A primate is any mammal of the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. The order Primates, with its 300 or more species, is the third most diverse order of mammals, after rodents and bats.

A number of traits set primates apart from other orders of placental mammals. Primates evolved from tree-living, or arboreal, ancestors. As a result, many primate traits are adaptations for life in the trees. Living in trees requires good grasping ability. Being able to judge distances is also important. Primates have five digits (fingers or toes) on each extremity. Unlike the hooves of horses or the paddles of whales, the digits of primates are relatively unspecialized. Therefore, they can be used to do a variety of tasks, including grasping branches and holding tools. Most primates have opposable thumbs. An opposable thumb can be brought into opposition with the other fingers of the same hand. This allows the hand to grasp and hold things. Primates usually rely more on the sense of vision than the sense of smell, which is the dominant sense in many other mammals. The importance of vision in primates is reflected by the bony socket that surrounds and protects the primate eye. Primates have widely spaced eyes in the same plane that give them stereoscopic (3-D) vision, needed for judging distances. Some primates, including humans, have also evolved color vision. Primates tend to have bigger brains for their body size than other mammals. This is reflected in their relatively high level of intelligence and their dependence on learned behavior. Primates have slower rates of development than other mammals their size. They reach maturity later and have longer lifespans. Being dependent on adults for a long maturation period gives young primates plenty of time to learn from their elders.

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