In general, primates share these physical features:

• Forward facing eyes (results in depth perception) and color vision are typical
• Two arms and two legs, rather than four legs
• Hands and feet (not paws)
• Most species have nails rather than claws
• Opposable set of digits
• Easily visible fingerprints which can be used for individual identification

Most primates:

• Give birth to one offspring at a time
• Have offspring that have a long period of dependence and relatively slow rates of overall maturation
• Have large brains relative to their body sizes

What are the four categories of primates?

How closely are humans related to other primates?

• Humans, chimpanzees and bonobos share 98.4 percent of the same DNA sequence
• Gorillas share 97.7 percent of their DNA with humans, chimpanzees and bonobos
• Orangutans share 96.4 percent of their DNA with humans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas

References
Shumaker, R. & Beck, B. (2003) Primates in Question. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C.

Caccone, A. and J.R. Powell. 1989. DNA divergence among hominids. Evolution 43: 925-42.

Caccone, A., R. DeSalle, and J.R. Powell. 1988. Calibration of the changing thermal stability of DNA duplexes and degree of base pair mismatch. Journal of Molecular Evolution. 27: 212-16