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primatologist

/ˌpraɪməˈtɑlədʒɪst/
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Other forms: primatologists

A primatologist is a scientist who studies apes, monkeys, and the other mammals that belong to the same order as human beings. If you're fascinated by chimps and orangutans, you may decide to become a primatologist.

Being a primatologist means specializing within the field of zoology, focusing on primates. We can thank primatologists for most of what we know about gorillas, lorises, lemurs, baboons, and other primates. Scientists classify this order of mammals as "the highest" among all animals, and the Latin root of primate and primatologist means "of the first rank."

Definitions of primatologist
  1. noun
    a scientist who studies the order of mammals that includes monkeys and apes
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