Astounding Facts About Primates that Never Cease to Amaze

12. Primates develop at a slower rate than other mammals.
As we’ve mentioned, primates have larger brains than other animals. Though that can indicate their advanced intelligence, they also require additional time to catch up to their extra-big brain. Newborn primates cannot survive with the help of one or both of their parents and even the extended community, which makes it all the more necessary to have a bond with their society. And they are not alone; we as humans have relatively large brains compared to body mass, and we take a very long time to develop. Consider that many animals leave their mothers at birth, yet we have an 18-year period called “childhood” in which parents are expected to care for their still-developing young. Moreover, the brain is not fully developed until a person is in their twenties.

Given the relationship between humans and primates, one should not be surprised that primates also develop slowly. They have long childhoods in which they are cared for by their mothers, who nurse them for as long as the first five years of life! While animals who have large litters or lay dozens (if not hundreds) of eggs cannot care for all of their young, primates usually have just one infant at a time and dedicate their lives to caring for them. Instead of the rapid development many other animals experience, primates have close relationships with their mothers and strong social bonds.