The amazing diversity of PRIMATES

There are over 500 species of primate spread across Earth of all shapes and sizes, from the tiniest tarsiers to the mighty gorilla. Made up of about 16 families, this order of animals is so much more than just monkeys, and each primate family looks and behaves extremely differently.

Lemurs, bush babies, monkeys and apes all make up the same order that began evolving at the extinction of the dinosaurs. “The primate order is so diverse, it goes from prosimians right up to human beings,” explains Dr Charlotte Macdonald, primate expert and former head of life sciences at Twycross Zoo. “It’s made up of animals that live in terrific social groups like capuchin monkeys and animals that are essentially solitary, like orangutans. It’s really quite a diverse range of species.” Over millions of years the biology and behaviour of each emerging species