In the year 1758, Linneaus, a Swedish naturalist, gave the name Primates which includes a number of Eutherian mammals, who develop some specialised characters, by which they can be distinguished from all other animals. 

The order Primate includes Lemur, Tarsiers, monkeys, Apes and man.

Characters – 

(1) They have prehensile hands and feet adapted for arboreal life

(2) The digits of both hands and feet are provided with flat nails

(8)The thumb and great toe are more or less opposable. 

(4) The collar bones or clavicles are well-developed.  

(5) They possess bony eye sockets 

(6) Teeth are specially meant for a mixed diet

(7) Keen and stereoscopic vision is the speciality of the Primates. 

(8) The femur lacks third trochanter. 

(9) They possess simple type of stomach. 

(10) Two mammary glands situated on the thorax and they are pectoral in position, Some lower members of this order possess more than one pair of mammary glands. (11) The testes descend into the scrotum. 

(12) They posséss a highly developed and convoluted brain. 

The order Primate includes various number of animals with various characteristic features. Man is also a member of the same order, This order can be fartber sub-divided into different sub-orders and families.