Cousins

First Primates

Before monkeys appeared, there were nocturnal primates. They evolved 66 million years ago, even before the dinosaurs became extinct. Today their representatives are still alive, known as prosimians, "before apes." Bush-babies, tarsiers and loris in Africa and Asia tell the remarkable story of primate descent. The development of grasping hands and feet, flattened nails and forward-facing stereoscopic color vision are the blueprint to our own success. Vocalization and scent marking are the basic forms of communication of these early primates.