Primate
Primates are divided into two distinct suborders (see diagram under History of terminology). The first suborder is called strepsirrhines (from Greek 'twisted-nosed or twisted-nostrilled'), which contains lemurs, galagos, and lorisids. These primates can be found throughout Africa, Madagascar, India, and Southeast Asia. The colloquial names of species ending in -nosed refer to the rhinarium of the primate. The second suborder is called haplorhines, which contains "dry-nosed" primates (from Greek 'simple-nosed') in the tarsier, monkey, and ape clades. The last of these groups includes humans. Simians (the infraorder called Simiiformes from the Greek word simos, meaning 'flat-nosed') refer to monkeys and apes, which can be classified as Old World monkeys and apes under the infraorder of catarrhines (from Greek 'narrow nosed') or as New World monkeys under the infraorder of platyrrhines (from Greek 'flat-nosed'). Forty million years ago, simians from Africa migrated to South America by drifting on debris (presumably), which gave rise to the five families of New World monkeys. The remaining simians (catarrhines) split into apes (Hominoidea) and Old World monkeys (Cercopithecoidea) approximately twenty-five million years ago. Common species that are simians include the (Old World) baboons, macaques, gibbons, and great apes; and the (New World) capuchins, howlers and squirrel monkeys.
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