Collection of primate facts organized by species. Plain text reference.
- Tool use: chimps use sticks to fish for termites, stones to crack nuts
- Social structure: fission-fusion communities of 20-150 individuals
- Intelligence: self-recognition in mirrors, theory of mind, cultural transmission
- Communication: over 30 distinct vocalizations, facial expressions, gestures
- Diet: omnivorous, primarily fruit, also leaves, insects, occasional meat
- Lifespan: 40-50 years in wild, up to 60 in captivity
- Peaceful: resolve conflicts through social bonding rather than aggression
- Matriarchal: females form strong coalitions, dominant over males
- Intelligence: comparable to chimps, excel at cooperation tasks
- Communication: high-pitched vocalizations, extensive use of gestures
- Diet: primarily frugivorous, less hunting than chimps
- Habitat: only found south of Congo River in DRC
- Largest primate: males weigh 135-220 kg
- Gentle: despite size, generally peaceful herbivores
- Social: live in stable groups led by silverback male
- Intelligence: tool use observed, sign language acquisition in captivity
- Diet: leaves, stems, bamboo shoots, some fruit
- Conservation: critically endangered (mountain gorillas ~1000 remain)
- Arboreal: spend 90% of time in trees
- Solitary: adult males mostly solitary, females with offspring
- Intelligence: advanced tool use, problem-solving, long-term planning
- Slow reproduction: longest birth interval of any mammal (8 years)
- Diet: primarily fruit, also bark, leaves, insects
- Habitat: Borneo and Sumatra rainforests
- Brachiators: swing through trees using arms, can cover 15m in single swing
- Monogamous: form long-term pair bonds
- Vocal: elaborate duet songs between mated pairs
- Small: 4-9 kg, smallest of apes
- Diet: primarily fruit, also leaves, flowers, insects
- Endangered: all gibbon species threatened by habitat loss
- Adaptable: live in diverse habitats from snow to tropics
- Social: complex hierarchies, cultural traditions
- Intelligence: tool use, problem-solving, numerical cognition
- Communication: facial expressions, vocalizations, body language
- Diet: omnivorous, highly adaptable
- Distribution: most widespread primate genus after humans
- Tool masters: use stones as hammers and anvils, probe with sticks
- Social: live in groups of 10-35
- Intelligence: among smartest New World monkeys
- Prehensile tail: acts as fifth limb
- Diet: omnivorous, fruit, insects, small vertebrates
- Lifespan: 15-25 years in wild, up to 50 in captivity
- Endemic: only found in Madagascar
- Diverse: over 100 species, from 30g mouse lemurs to 9kg indri
- Nocturnal and diurnal: different species active at different times
- Social: varied, from solitary to large groups
- Diet: primarily herbivorous, some omnivorous species
- Endangered: 95% of lemur species threatened
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