Biology / Unit 10 Bio 2307 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Primate Traits
Captions available
The idea
Primates share traits supporting an arboreal ancestry: forward-facing eyes for depth perception, grasping hands, and, in most lineages, nails rather than claws.
In practice
A primate's forward-facing eyes give overlapping visual fields, supporting the depth perception useful for judging distances between branches.
Where people slip
These traits reflect an arboreal history — not every living primate species spends most of its time in trees today.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Biology