Primates such as monkeys, apes, lemurs and humans share common characteristics. In Madagascar, the crowned lemur babies are cared for by the family as they grow up. They have flexible shoulders like us, their hands can grasp branches, and they communicate vocally. Monkeys arrived in South America from Africa long before humans did. Squirrel monkeys and Capuchin monkeys teach their babies how to do things for themselves, and play is an important way of learning. Dad protects the family colony in the wild. Snow monkey mothers hold their babies close to keep them warm and the family group grooms each other as an important social behaviour. The whole troop disciplines and protects the young. Great Apes and Orangutans are the primates that are most like humans, and raising their babies can take up to 7 years. Older offspring help raise the younger ones, just like they do in human families. Great apes have no tails, and are the most intelligent of primates, using tools to get food. When we observe primates, we can see many similarities to ourselves.