What are primates?
Primates are a biological order containing two sub-orders, the strepsirrhines (lemurs, galagos and lorisids) and the haplorhines (tarsiers, monkeys and apes).
Where do primates live?
Primates can be found all over the world, but primarily live in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and South America. Although most call tropical rainforests their home, there are also primates living in savannahs, mountains, and costal regions.
Primates are often noted for their sociality, often living in large multi-family groups, sometimes with strict hierarchies. There are however many solitary species of primate, as well as those that live just with a mate, or a nuclear family. Primates encompass the whole spectrum of sociality.
New species of primate continue to be discovered, due in part to advances in DNA technology. One of the most notable of these is the Tapanuli orangutan, described as a distinct species in 2017.
How many primate species are there?
Comprising approximately 504 species, the primates are an ancient and indeed diverse group of eutherian (placental) mammals spread across three major divisions: apes, monkeys and prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers, lorises, galagos and pottos).
Why is the primate family so diverse?
One reason for primates’ diversity is the sheer length of time they have had to evolve.
The primates first emerged more than 55 million years ago, giving them ample opportunity to radiate out and inhabit various habitats and ecosystems.
They have thus been able to diversify and specialise – from the very small (the 30g Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur) to the very large (the 205kg eastern gorilla).
Species have also adapted to a range of diets, from gumnivorous (sap-feeding) marmosets and carnivorous tarsiers to folivores such as the black-and-white colobus and omnivores such as the bonobo.
There’s diversity in primate habitat, too, from tropical forest to savannah; and social tendencies, from the semi-solitary potto and orangutan to the highly social mandrill.
Main image: Young Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). © Mark Carwardine/Getty
