Primates – Monkeys

All our cousins and we humans! Sadly, half are threatened with extinction

You must’ve heard the popular notion that our ancestors were monkeys. Not quite, but monkeys and humans had a common ancestor. Just like chimpanzees, apes or lemurs probably evolved parallel to humans or other monkeys, sharing common ancestors—in other words, we’re all primates with long-lost relatives.

As you must’ve guessed, Primates are the smartest animals with the largest cerebral capacity and are socially advanced (the word ‘primate’ literally means “first rank”). Given that we so closely identify ourselves with these hairy relatives, one would think that most of their species must’ve been discovered already. To our surprise, more than a dozen new primate species are discovered in dense mystical rainforests each year!

Primates are organized into two suborders: the more primitive Strepsirrhines – “wet-nosed” and intelligent superior Haplorhines – “dry-nosed.” The latter rely more on sight and sound than smell. The wet nose, rhinarium, acts like Boy Scout’s wet finger, helping the primate sense the direction of the scent — predator, prey, or another species member.

Did you know…?

They use their sharp minds and, interestingly, use tools like twigs or sticks to clean their ears.
These rulers of the tree canopies are threatened by deforestation and global warming, forcing them to climb down to the ground.
New world monkeys are specifically at risk as they continue to face unexpected predators on the ground.
rulers of the tree canopies
The entire family of Archaeoindris — the extinct giant lemur — has vanished when humans arrived to Madagascar.