Primate Facts

What are Primates?

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:
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  • Great Apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, humans, and orangutans
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  • ​Lesser Apes: gibbons ​
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  • 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
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  • ​​Prosimians: the oldest, most “primitive” order of primates, including galagos or bushbabies, lemurs, lorises, pottos, and tarsiers​ ​​
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​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
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  • Lesser apes (gibbons) live only in Asia
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  • 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
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  • ​Prosimians live in African and Asia​ ​
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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.
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

  • Found from southern Mexico to Central and South America, except in the highest mountains
  • Are more primitive than Old World monkeys.
  • Their brains are considered less complex than those of Old World monkeys
  • Their thumbs, when present, are not opposable
  • Their nostrils are further apart and tend to point outward
  • ​Most have 36 teeth
  • ​They have slender bodies and limbs with long narrow hands
  • Most have a prehensile or partially prehensile tail
  • Include marmosets, tamarins, titis, capuchins, spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, owl monkeys, the sakis, and the uakaris.​
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No apes, other than humans, live in the New World

Old World Monkeys

  • Found in southern Asia, with a few species as far north as Japan and northern China, and in all of Africa except the most arid deserts
  • Most, but not all, have opposable thumbs
  • Their tails are are never prehensile
  • 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
  • Are more closely related to the apes and, therefore, humans than they are to the New World monkeys
  • Include macaques, baboons, mandrills, mangabeys, colobus, langurs, vervets, lemurs, galagos, pottos, tariers, lorises, patas, proboscis, guenons, and snub-nosed monkeys.
All apes are found in Old World regions of the world.
Want to know more about primate species and subspecies?
How many species are there? Where do they live?
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Scroll through the Primate Species Profiles Index pages.
​You may be surprised by what you'll find:
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​All Rights Reserved.