A primate is a mammal of the order Primates (Latin: "prime, first rank"). In taxonomy, primates include two distinct lineages, strepsirrhines and haplorhines. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment. Most primate species remain at least partly arboreal. 

With the exception of humans, who inhabit every continent, most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa and Asia. They range in size from Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, which weighs only , to the eastern gorilla, weighing over ; that is, without taking into account the weight of particular human individuals, reaching up to . Based on fossil evidence, the earliest known true primates, represented by the genus "Teilhardina", date to 55.8 million years old. An early close primate relative known from abundant remains is the Late Paleocene "Plesiadapis", c. 55–58 million years old. Molecular clock studies suggest that the primate branch may be even older, originating near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary or around 63–74 mya. 

The order Primates was traditionally divided into two main groupings: prosimians and anthropoids (simians). Prosimians have characteristics more like those of the earliest primates, and include the lemurs of Madagascar, lorisoids, and tarsiers. Simians include monkeys, apes and hominins. More recently, taxonomists have preferred to split primates into the suborder Strepsirrhini, or wet-nosed primates, consisting of non-tarsier prosimians, and the suborder Haplorhini, or dry-nosed primates, consisting of tarsiers and the simians.
What type of animal is this about?
What does it mean?
In what language?
What are its two main components?
Do most live in trees?
What's the smallest primate?
Who was that primate named for?
Other than humans, what's the largest?
How long have there been primates?
What's the oldest fossil?
Where do lemurs live?
What grouping are they in?
What else is in that group?
Andthing else?
What's the other grouping?
Are humans prosimians or simians?
Which other animals are in that group?
What does Strepsirrhini mean?
And Haplorhini?
Where did the primates' forebears live?
primate
primate
prime, first rank
prime, first rank
Latin
Latin
strepsirrhines and haplorhines
strepsirrhines and haplorhine
at least partly
Most primate species remain at least partly arboreal
mouse lemur
mouse lemur
Madame Berthe
Madame Berthe
the eastern gorilla
the eastern gorilla
since around 63–74 mya
 around 63–74 mya
Teilhardina
Teilhardina
Madagascar
Madagascar
Prosimians
Prosimians
lorisoids
lorisoids
tarsiers
tarsiers
anthropoids
anthropoids
Simians
Simians
monkeys
monkeys
wet-nosed primates
wet-nosed primates
dry-nosed primates
dry-nosed primates
the trees of tropical forests
the trees of tropical forests