NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

The primate order, one of the many subdivisions of mammals, includes monkeys, apes and humans. This hall provides an overview of primates through skeletons, mounted specimens and artwork. The order is broken down into families in displays that trace both their shared characteristics and those unique to each group.

Primates range in size from the pygmy marmoset to the orangutan and gorilla, and include species such as tree shrews that more closely resemble rodents. While the apes, which are specialized for swinging by their hands, do not have tails, many primates such as spider monkeys have long tails they use for grasping. Some species live predominantly among the trees while others inhabit the forest floor, and primates' habitats are found from South America to Southeast Asia to Africa. The visitor can explore the relationship of hominids, or humans, to other primates through these characteristics and others, including posture, the amount of body hair and the shape of the hand—especially the thumb.