On this page you’ll discover all our Primates, but first…
Interesting Facts about Primates
Primates are a type of mammal. They include apes, monkeys, and humans. Here are some things that make them unique:
- Primates have unique hands and feet, with toe/fingerprints and finger/toenails as well the ability to grasp with each.
- Primates typically give birth to only one offspring at a time that will stay with them and their social unit for a longer adult life than a lot of other animals.
- Even among large-brained mammals, primates have some of the biggest!
- Primates use tools, communicate vocally, and have very social groupings. In this way they’re a lot like humans. For example, primates use grooming as a way to make peace with each other.
- There are many instances of lovable monkeys in popular culture from Curious George to Doctor Doolittle. One other classic monkey is the sock monkey, a simple stuffed monkey that started to become popular in Victorian times and were actually made of socks most often during the Great Depression.
- Not only are sock monkeys adorable, they are pretty easy to make! You can sew your own. Or with a paper bag, some extra construction paper and some paints, markers, or colored pencils you can make something that’s just as good.
- Everybody knows that primates love bananas! Ok, so that fact might be a little bit exaggerated (monkeys and other primates eat a varied diet including fruits, insects, leaves, and sometimes meat. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with them!
- Even if it’s as simple as a chocolate dipped or frozen banana, there’s plenty you can do. Set the table with your own self-designed monkey place settings, throw some streamers up to make some vines, and decorate the room with drawings that you’ve made before you chow down.
- Don’t forget about the diversity within primates! There are gorillas, the largest primates. There are lemurs, which are native to Madagascar and have tails that can be longer than the rest of their bodies. There are the tree-dwelling Orangutans that are the only Great Apes outside of Africa. And there are plenty more within the primate family. Don’t think that just because you know how to draw one that you can draw them all!
