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LiveScience
LiveScience
Jess Thomson

Primates: Facts about the group that includes humans, apes, monkeys and other close relatives

A close-up of a chimpanzee's face.
Quick facts about primates

Where they live: Every continent except Australia and Antarctica

What they eat: Mostly fruits, seeds, nuts, leaves and insects

How big they are: The smallest primate species is only 5.4 inches (13.6 centimeters) tall, on average. The biggest — humans and gorillas — can be 6 feet (1.8 meters) or taller.

Primates are a group of mammals that includes humans and our close relatives, such as apes, monkeys and lemurs. Monkeys, such as capuchins and macaques; prosimians, like lemurs and tarsiers; lesser apes, such as gibbons; and great apes, like gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans, are all primates. Our close extinct relatives, such as the Neanderthals, were also primates. Most primates live in tropical climates close to the equator, though some live in colder or snowy environments, like the mountains of Japan.

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