Humans, Homo sapiens, meaning "thinking man" or "intelligent
human", appeared during the latter part of the Cenozoic Era, in
the Pleistocene Epoch. Homo sapiens share many characteristics
with the other members of the Order Primates, including basic
body structure and biochemistry, but humans are quite distinct
from the other primates in many important ways, as follows:
Primates are a group of placental mammals. They have five
digits, which is a primitive, non-specialized characteristic.
They have not developed hoofs, horns, antlers, or trunks, unlike
some other groups of placental mammals, and so they remain
structurally generalized compared with other mammalian groups.
Principle adaptations of the primates include: These adaptations
may have been beneficial to an arboreal (tree-dwelling)
existence, or to catching prey. Types of modern primates:
Prosimians - tree shrews, lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers Lemur.
Wild Animal Safari, Pine Mountain, GA. Photo courtesy of Pamela
Gore. Anthropoidea - monkeys, apes, an