Primate Characteristics

A primate, which includes the species Homo sapiens (us), is classified as a mammal (Class Mammalia). This means that they have similar shared biological and behavioral characteristics. For example, mammals control their body temperature internally (thermoregulation), unlike a snake that requires contact with sunlight, warm surfaces, or other external means to increase body temperatures.

All mammals thermoregulate their bodies to a specific range of temperatures. Using a complex system of heat retention and heat loss, and body coatings such as hair, skin and glands, mammals can live in a wide variety of climates. Mammals are also characterized by efficient breathing systems, a separate chest and abdominal cavity, a four-chambered heart, and a complex nervous system.

Complex nutrition, locomotion and posture, reproductive strategies and behavioral flexibility are all mammalian traits. Mammals require a lot of food that is completely processed during digestion. A hard palate, a bony structure located in the throat, allows the animal to breath and chew at the same time. The skeletal anatomy of mammals is light to facilitate quick movement. Extensive bone growth occurs during infancy and childhood in the long parts of bones. Reproductive systems are designed for longer periods of gestation during which the mother’s body provides nourishment for the fetus. Infants are born with complex neurological, skeletal, muscular and circulatory systems that enable them to move, grow, and learn at a young age. The behavioral repertoire of mammals is much more sophisticated than other animal species, thus requiring a longer period of learning for adult behavior.

The classification of mammals can be reduced further to include a smaller group of species that share specific characteristics. This level of taxonomic classification is called an Order. Prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans belong to the Order Primates. Primate species inhabit nearly all ecological niches through biological and behavioral adaptations. Humans, in particular, have an extremely broad geographical range made possible by complex behavior. While most primates are adapted for life in an arboreal environment, only humans are fully adapted for terrestrial, bipedal (walking on two feet) locomotion.

So what are the specific characteristics of primates? Actually, primates have no strong distinguishing attributes. As a group, their diets vary greatly; they're omnivorous. Their tooth structure is very generalized and their hands are adapted for general purposes. The main primate characteristics are:

• The ability to manipulate and hold an object with one hand.
• Opposable thumbs and big toes. The obvious exception to this is humans, who only have opposable thumbs. This is because our main source of locomotion is bipedal, thus we use our feet to walk and not for grasping objects.
• A tendency towards upright posture.
• Fewer teeth than most mammals, which means primates have a flatter face.
• Reduced olfactory sense (smell) but increased visual sensitivity. Primates have good color vision and visual acuity.
• Most primates are diurnal or active during the day.
• Almost all primates have one or more fingernails (as opposed to claws).
• Primates are very intelligent, capable of very sophisticated social behavior.