Viewing and observing primates at the zoo and using them as a research subject is crucial in helping to understand how humans came to be. Since humans and primates are more than 95% genetically similar (Because humans are primates), observing them is a great tool to better understand humans and the relationship we share with primates. While some primate research has questioned the morality of such a thing, by not looking at our closest ancestors, we wouldn't have many of the answers about humans that we have today. Nonhuman primates can teach us many things about ourselves, from evolution to behavioral and social characteristics. Apes, like humans, are catarrhine and are part of the hominoidea superfamily. Apes began to appear in the Miocene about 20 million years ago (lesson notes, week 10), in this category there are many primates that stand out as apes, such as orangutans, gibbons, chimpanzees and gorillas. These particular primates come from the old world and are native to Africa and Asia. Apes are distinguished by the foramen magnum towards the back of the skull, the absence of a tail and the hooked nose (Larsen 2013, p. 150). Another characteristic of monkeys is that they have a large brain compared to their body size, this is important because it shows that they have superior intelligence compared to other animals, and this can be linked to the relationship shared with humans. Bonobos and gorillas are often found socializing in groups, but orangutans are more solitary primates who usually only hang out with the children they have (absolutely monkeys). Most scientists believe that bonobos are the most intelligent of primates (absolutely monkeys). They share many of the behaviors that we humans adopt every day, such as teaching... in the middle of a sheet of paper... producing palm oil (symbol of the zoo). So the zoo actually saves the lives of these animals and spreads the word to help protect them. All in all, learning about primates and then observing them is very interesting. I had to compare the behaviors of primates written in a book to how they behave in person and see for myself if it was what I expected. Watching them is much more fun than just reading about them, for example while sitting with the orangutans not a minute went by that I wasn't smiling or laughing at what each individual ape was doing. Actually seeing some primates interact with each other whether it's grooming, hugging or playing puts into perspective how much they behave like humans. By observing and doing research, this will improve our understanding between the differences and similarities of non-human primates and ourselves as humans.