Watch the gibbon in the banner. Brachiation: the body hangs below one hand like a pendulum, swings forward, and the free hand catches the next hold. Gibbons can cover several meters in one swing.
Leontopithecus rosalia
ENEndangered
A conservation success: zoo-bred tamarins were released in Brazil's Atlantic Forest starting in 1984, with the Smithsonian's National Zoo leading.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Endangered, up from critically endangered thanks to reintroduction.
- Size
- Body length about 20-30 cm · About 500-700 g
What to watch forLook for the long fingers used to probe bark for insects.
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Papio hamadryas
LCLeast concern
Sacred in ancient Egypt, linked with the god Thoth. Males have silver capes.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Least concern.
- Size
- Body length about 60-76 cm · About 10-21 kg
What to watch forCompare the male's silver mane with the females' brown coats.
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Mandrillus sphinx
VUVulnerable
The largest monkey; males have red and blue faces.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Vulnerable from hunting for bushmeat.
- Size
- Body length about 60-80 cm · About 10-35 kg
What to watch forCompare male and female coloring: a clue to how mates choose.
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Papio anubis
LCLeast concern
A favorite of primate scientists studying friendship, stress and rank.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers scatter food so baboons forage for hours.
- Conservation
- Least concern.
- Size
- Body length about 50-110 cm · About 14-37 kg
What to watch forWatch grooming chains and who sits next to whom: that is the troop's politics.
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Pan paniscus
ENEndangered
Found only south of the Congo River.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Endangered.
- Size
- Standing about 1-1.2 m · About 30-45 kg
What to watch forCompare how bonobos and chimpanzees settle conflicts.
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Pongo pygmaeus
CRCritically endangered AZA SAFE: Orangutan
The world's largest tree-dwelling animal. Mothers raise one baby for about seven to eight years.
- Keeper's note
- Orangutans get high climbing frames and materials to build nests.
- Conservation
- Critically endangered; palm oil plantations replaced much of its forest.
- Size
- Standing about 1.2-1.5 m · About 30-90 kg
What to watch forWatch nest-building with sacks or straw, and careful problem-solving.
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Pan troglodytes
ENEndangered AZA SAFE: Chimpanzee
Shares about 98 percent of our DNA. Jane Goodall saw chimps make and use tools in 1960.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers give puzzle feeders and termite-mound mock-ups so chimps can use sticks as tools.
- Conservation
- Endangered by habitat loss, hunting and disease.
- Size
- Standing about 1-1.7 m · About 40-60 kg
What to watch forWatch tool use, hand-holding, and reconciliation after a squabble.
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Pongo abelii
CRCritically endangered AZA SAFE: Orangutan
Lighter-haired and more sociable than the Bornean species.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Critically endangered.
- Size
- Standing about 1.2-1.4 m · About 30-90 kg
What to watch forCompare face and hair with the Bornean orangutan.
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Gorilla gorilla
CRCritically endangered AZA SAFE: Gorilla
The gorilla most often seen in zoos (the western lowland gorilla).
- Keeper's note
- Gorillas get browse, hay nests and a choice of indoor and outdoor rooms.
- Conservation
- Critically endangered by hunting, disease (Ebola) and logging.
- Size
- Standing about 1.4-1.8 m · About 70-200 kg
What to watch forWatch the silverback's calm control of the group, and the young playing.
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Symphalangus syndactylus
ENEndangered
The largest gibbon; its throat sac makes calls heard kilometers away.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Endangered.
- Size
- Body length about 75-90 cm · About 10-13 kg
What to watch forWatch the throat sac swell during calls.
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Hylobates lar
ENEndangered
A lesser ape. Gibbons swing arm over arm (brachiation) at up to 55 km/h.
- Keeper's note
- Gibbon homes have ropes and high branches so they can swing, and are open so their songs carry.
- Conservation
- Endangered by forest loss and the pet trade.
- Size
- Body length about 42-58 cm · About 4-7 kg
What to watch forListen for the morning duet and watch the swing: hands only, body hanging.
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Lemur catta
ENEndangered
Found only on Madagascar. Lemurs are primates but not monkeys.
- Keeper's note
- Keepers check appetite, movement and social behavior every day, and change enrichment so no two days are the same.
- Conservation
- Endangered by forest loss and the pet trade.
- Size
- Body length about 40 cm, tail about 60 cm · About 2-3.5 kg
What to watch forWatch lemurs sunbathe with arms out in the morning, and the tail held high as a flag.
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For classes
Lessons: The Primate Learning Lab: Open the field notebookPreviewThe Primate Learning Lab: Watch one primatePreviewThe Primate Learning Lab: The stick in the termite moundPreviewThe Primate Learning Lab: Cultures in the forestPreviewThe Primate Learning Lab: Where watching stopsPreview
Drawer: Zoo: Primates
Quiz: Primates quiz · 5 questions
Next door: Natural history: the mammal room