Editing Primate (section)

{{short description|Order of mammals}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{About|the type of animal}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{automatic taxobox
| name = Primates
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|65.9|0|earliest=85}}
[[Early Paleocene]] to [[Holocene|Present]]
| image = {{Multiple image
| perrow            = 2/2/2/2
| total_width       = 280
| caption_align = center
| image1            = Lemur catta 001.jpg
| caption1          = [[Ring-tailed lemur]]
| image3            = Loris tardigradus tardigradus 003.jpg
| caption3          = [[Red slender loris]]
| image5            = Garnett's Galago (Greater Bushbaby).jpg
| caption5          = [[Northern greater galago]]
| image6            = Bohol Tarsier.jpg
| caption6          = [[Philippine tarsier]]
| image7            = Ateles paniscus -Brazil-8.jpg
| caption7          = [[Black spider monkey]]
| image8            = Papio hamadryas (aka).jpg
| caption8          = [[Hamadryas baboon]]
| image9            = Hylobates lar pair of white and black 01.jpg
| caption9          = [[Lar gibbon]]
| image10           = Akha cropped hires.JPG
| caption10         = [[Human]]s
| border            = infobox
}}
| taxon = Primates
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758<ref name="MSW3">{{MSW3 Groves|pages=111–184|id=12100001}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Suborders
| subdivision = *[[Strepsirrhini]]
*[[Haplorhini]]
*†''[[Altiatlasius]]''
| range_map = Primate_SpeciesDensity.png
| range_map_caption = Range and density of non-human primates.
| synonyms = [[Plesiadapiformes]] ([[cladistically]] including crown primates<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Silcox|first1=Mary T.|last2=Bloch|first2=Jonathan I.|last3=Boyer|first3=Doug M.|last4=Chester|first4=Stephen G. B.|last5=López-Torres|first5=Sergi|date=2017|title=The evolutionary radiation of plesiadapiforms|journal=Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews|language=en|volume=26|issue=2|pages=74–94|doi=10.1002/evan.21526|pmid=28429568|issn=1520-6505|doi-access=free}}</ref>)
}}

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'''Primates''' is<!-- Primates "is" an order, and primates "are" animals. Just like Carnivora "is" an order, containing a bunch of carnivorans --> an [[order (biology)|order]] of [[mammal]]s, which is further divided into the [[Strepsirrhini|strepsirrhine]]s, which include [[lemurs]], [[galagos]], and [[Lorisidae|lorisid]]s; and the [[Haplorhini|haplorhine]]s, which include [[Tarsiiformes|tarsiers]] and [[simian]]s ([[monkey]]s and [[ape]]s). Primates arose 74–63&nbsp;million years ago first from small [[terrestrial animal|terrestrial]] mammals, which adapted for life in [[tropical forest]]s: many primate characteristics represent adaptations to the challenging environment among [[Canopy (biology)|tree tops]], including large [[brain size]]s, [[binocular vision]], [[color vision]], [[Animal communication|vocalization]]s, [[shoulder girdle]]s allowing a large degree of movement in the [[upper limb]]s, and [[opposable thumb]]s (in most but not all) that enable better [[grasping]] and [[dexterity]]. Primates range in size from [[Madame Berthe's mouse lemur]], which weighs {{convert|30|g|oz|0|abbr=on}}, to the [[eastern gorilla]], weighing over {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. There are 376–524 [[species]] of living primates, depending on which classification is used. New primate species continue to be discovered: over 25 species were described in the 2000s, 36 in the 2010s, and [[List of primates described in the 2020s|six in the 2020s]].

Primates have large [[brain]]s (relative to body size) compared to other mammals, as well as an increased reliance on [[visual acuity]] at the expense of the [[sense of smell]], which is the dominant sensory system in most mammals. These features are more developed in monkeys and apes, and noticeably less so in lorises and lemurs. Some primates, including [[gorilla]]s, [[human]]s and [[baboon]]s, are primarily ground-dwelling rather than arboreal, but all species have adaptations for climbing trees. [[Arboreal locomotion]] techniques used include leaping from tree to tree and swinging between branches of trees ([[brachiation]]); terrestrial locomotion techniques include walking on two [[hindlimb]]s ([[bipedal]]ism) and modified walking on four limbs ([[quadrupedalism]]) via [[knuckle-walking]].

Primates are among the most [[social animal|social]] of all animals, forming pairs or family groups, uni-male harems, and multi-male/multi-female groups. Non-human primates have at least four types of [[social structure|social systems]], many defined by the amount of movement by adolescent females between groups. Primates have slower rates of development than other similarly sized mammals, reach maturity later, and have longer lifespans. Primates are also the most [[primate cognition|cognitively]] advanced animals, with humans (genus ''[[Homo]]'') capable of creating complex [[language]]s and sophisticated [[civilization]]s, while non-human primates have been recorded [[tool use by animals|using tools]]. They may communicate using facial and hand gestures, smells and vocalizations.

Close interactions between humans and non-human primates (NHPs) can create opportunities for the transmission of [[zoonosis|zoonotic diseases]], especially virus diseases including [[herpes]], [[measles]], [[ebola]], [[rabies]] and [[hepatitis]]. Thousands of non-human primates are used in research around the world because of their psychological and physiological similarity to humans. About 60% of primate species are threatened with extinction. Common threats include [[deforestation]], [[forest fragmentation]], [[monkey drive]]s, and primate hunting for use in medicines, as pets, and for food. Large-scale tropical forest clearing for agriculture most threatens primates.