Primate evolution is the study of the origin and diversification of Primates, the order of mammals that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. Primates arose from small, tree-dwelling mammals tens of millions of years ago, and over that span the lineage developed traits associated with arbore…
Primate evolution is the study of the origin and diversification of Primates, the order of mammals that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. Primates arose from small, tree-dwelling mammals tens of millions of years ago, and over that span the lineage developed traits associated with arboreal life and complex behavior, such as grasping hands and feet, forward-facing eyes with stereoscopic vision, relatively large brains, and extended periods of parental care and social learning. Researchers reconstruct this history by integrating evidence from the fossil record, comparative anatomy, behavior, and molecular and genomic data, tracing how anatomical and cognitive features changed and how different primate groups adapted to varied environments. The field illuminates broad questions about the evolution of intelligence, sociality, locomotion, and the deep relationships among living Primates, including the place of humans within the order. The journal Primates publishes research on the biology, behavior, genetics, and evolution of primate species. This page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access scholarship relevant to primate evolution and the comparative study of primate biology, while noting that detailed evolutionary conclusions rest on the full body of fossil, anatomical, and genetic evidence.
2 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 2 articles above have been cited 2 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Oct 2025.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Primates Evolution, linking to each citing work.