From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Primates
are an
order
of
mammals
. It includes all
lemurs
,
monkeys
and
apes
, including
humans
.
[1]
Most primates (but not humans) are mainly or entirely
forest
dwellers.
There are about 400
species
of primates.
[2]
All primates are similar to humans in many ways, but
language
is an important advantage which only humans have. Other primates have a pattern of calls and gestures, but not language as we know it.
Primates have hands with five
fingers
and flat
fingernails
(most other animals have
claws
or
hooves
). All primates are covered with fur (hair), but in humans the body hair is only noticeable in two places: on the head and around the
genitals
.
Primates are split into two groups:
Strepsirrhini
and
Haplorhini
. Haplorrhini includes larger monkeys such as,
tarsiers
and apes including humans. Strepsirrhini includes smaller monkeys such as
lemurs
,
lorises
,
galagos
(also called bush babies) and the
aye-aye
.
Primates are one of the few mammal groups which re-evolved full
color vision
. Even so, color vision in birds is better. Color vision was lost in mammals during the long period when
dinosaurs
ruled the Earth, and mammals were mainly small
nocturnal
animals.
[3]
Close contact between humans and non-human primates creates opportunities for
zoonotic diseases
to get to humans.
Virus
diseases transmitted to humans include
herpes
,
measles
,
ebola
,
rabies
, and
hepatitis
.
- ↑
Groves C.P. 2005. Wilson D.E.; Reeder D. M. (eds).
Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference
(3rd ed). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 111?184.
ISBN 0-801-88221-4
. OCLC 62265494
- ↑
Silcox, Mary T.; Bloch, Jonathan I.; Boyer, Doug M.; Chester, Stephen G. B.; Lopez?Torres, Sergi 2017. The evolutionary radiation of plesiadapiforms.
Evolutionary Anthropology
: Issues, News, and Reviews.
26
(2): 74?94.
PMID 28429568
- ↑
Macdonald, David 2006. Primates.
The Encyclopedia of Mammals
. The Brown Reference Group plc. pp. 282?307.
ISBN 0-681-45659-0
Data related to
Primates
at Wikispecies