Primate Facts

What are Primates?

Great Apes

Lesser Apes

Monkeys

Prosimians

There are an estimated 703 species and subspecies of primates. More than 2/3 are threatened by extinction.

Primates are mammals that typically have large highly developed brains, forward-facing color vision, flexible hands and feet with opposable thumbs, and fingernails. Primates have slower developmental rates than other similarly sized mammals and reach maturity later, but have longer lifespans. With the exception of humans, who live throughout the globe, most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions.

The biological order of Primates is divided into these classifications:

Great Apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, humans, and orangutans

Lesser Apes: gibbons

Monkeys: baboons, capuchin monkeys, colobus monkeys, drills, geladas, guenons, howler monkeys, langurs, macaques, mandrills, mangabeys, marmosets, night monkeys, patas monkeys, proboscis monkeys, sakis, snub-nosed monkeys, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, tamarins, titis, uakaris, and woolly monkeys

Prosimians: the oldest, most “primitive” order of primates, including galagos or bushbabies, lemurs, lorises, pottos, and tarsiers

Go to Primate Species Profiles to find your favorite and learn more!

WHERE DO NONHUMAN PRIMATES LIVE?

Nonhuman primates live in parts of Africa, Asian, and Latin America. Most live in tropical climates along the equator.

Great apes live in Africa and Asia

Lesser apes (gibbons) live only in Asia

Monkeys live naturally in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Introduced* "feral" populations live in Gibraltar, on a few Caribbean islands, and in parts of the United States. But these are not their natural homes

Prosimians live in African and Asia

* What is an Introduced or Invasive Species?

An Introduced Species is a species living outside its native distributional range, which has arrived there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental. Non-native species can have various effects on the local ecosystem. Introduced species that become established and spread beyond the place of introduction are called invasive species. The impact of introduced species is highly variable. Some have a negative effect on a local ecosystem, while other introduced species may have no negative effect or only minor impact.

Nonhuman primates naturally live in the green regions

Learn more:
WHERE DO PRIMATES LIVE?
A VIDEO, LESSONS, AND ACTIVITIES

A lesson and activity for understanding where in the world primates live and the need to preserve and protect their natural habitats.

What's the Difference Between
New World and Old World Monkeys?

New World Monkeys

Capuchin monkey

New World monkeys are found from southern Mexico to central South America, except in the high mountains. They are considered more primitive than Old World monkeys. Most have prehensile or partially prehensile tails that enable them to grasp objects. Their thumbs, when present, are typically not opposable. Their noses are flatter and their nostrils are further apart than those of their Old World counterparts and point outward. They do not have cheek pouches. Most have 36 teeth. They have slender bodies and limbs with long narrow hands.

New World monkeys include capuchins, howler monkeys, marmosets, owl monkeys, sakis, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, tamarins, titis, uakaris, and woolly monkeys.

Old World Monkeys

Baboon

Old World monkeys are found in southern Asia, with a few species as far north as Japan and northern China, and in all of Africa except the deserts. The tails of Old World monkeys are never prehensile. Their thumbs are opposable. Their nostrils are close together and tend to point downward. Many species have cheek pouches to hold food, and many have thick pads on their buttocks. They have 32 teeth. Old World monkeys are more closely related to apes, and therefore humans, than they are to the New World monkeys.

Old World monkeys include baboons, drills, geladas, guenons, leaf monkeys, mandrills, macaques, mangabeys, patas, proboscis monkeys, and snub-nosed monkeys.

Want to know more about primate species and subspecies?
How many species are there? Where do they live?

Scroll through the Primate Species Profiles Index pages.
You may be surprised by what you'll find: