What is a prosimian?
Q: What is a prosimian?
A: A prosimian is a group of proto-primates that includes all living and extinct strepsirrhines, as well as the haplorhine tarsiers and their extinct relatives, the omomyiforms.
Q: How does the physical characteristics of prosimians compare with those of simians?
A: Prosimians have characteristics that are more "primitive" (ancestral or plesiomorphic) than those of simians (monkeys, apes, and humans).
Q: Is prosimian a clade or a paraphyletic group?
A: Prosimians are a paraphyletic group and not a clade (a group of an ancestor and all its descendants).
Q: With which primates do tarsiers share a more recent common ancestor?
A: Tarsiers share a more recent common ancestor with all simians than with the strepsirrhines.
Q: Is "prosimian" still an official term in taxonomy?
A: No, the term "prosimian" is no longer an official term in taxonomy.
Q: Are prosimians only found in Madagascar?
A: No, prosimians are the only primates native to Madagascar, but are also found throughout Africa and in Asia.
Q: For what purpose is the term "prosimian" still used?
A: The term "prosimian" is still used to compare their behaviour with that of other primates.
