Fauna of South Africa
The largest primate in the region, excluding humans, is the chacma baboon. A true generalist, it is found in virtually all habitats in South Africa. The other primates in the region are the vervet monkey and the Samango monkey. They are mainly frugivores, although they are true opportunists and may take eggs and nestlings from bird nests.
Primate
Primates are characterized by large brains (relative to body size) compared to other mammals, as well as an increased reliance on visual acuity at the expense of the sense of smell, which is the dominant sensory system in most mammals. These features are more developed in monkeys and apes, and noticeably less so in lorises and lemurs. Trichromatism, three independent channels for conveying color information, is present in some primates. Except for apes, primates have tails. Most primates also have opposable thumbs. Many species are sexually dimorphic; differences may include muscle mass, fat distribution, pelvic width, canine tooth size, hair distribution, and coloration. Primates have slower rates of development than other similarly sized mammals, reach maturity later, and have longer lifespans. Depending on the species, adults may live in solitude, in mated pairs, or in groups of up to hundreds of members. Some primates, including some great apes (gorillas and humans) and baboons, are primarily terrestrial rather than arboreal; but all species possess adaptations for climbing trees. Arboreal locomotion techniques used include leaping from tree to tree, and swinging between branches of trees (brachiation); terresterial locomotion techniques include walking on two limbs (bipedalism) and modified walking on four limbs (knuckle-walking).