Simian

infraorder of mammals: "higher primates": New World monkeys, Old World monkeys and apes, including humans

The simians (infraorder Simiiformes) are the "higher primates". Familiar to most people are the Old World monkeys and apes, including humans and the New World monkeys. Simians tend to be larger than the "lower primates" or prosimians.

Simian
Temporal range: Middle Eocene – Recent
Lar Gibbon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Haeckel, 1866
Families

Parvorder Platyrrhini:

Parvorder Catarrhini:

The simians are sister to the tarsiers: together they make up the haplorhines. The radiation occurred about 60 million years ago during the Cenozoic era.

40 million years ago, simians from Afro-Arabia colonized South America (by what route is not known). This gave rise to the New World monkeys. The remaining simians (catarrhines) split 25 million years ago into Old World monkeys and apes.