30 January 2026

Updated All Primates Checklist from the IUCN

Dear Primate Listers,

Anthony Rylands, Primate Conservation Director at Re:Wild, has sent me the latest list of primate species which the IUCN also use. This is the list I suggest you use if you want to enter your total in the primate league table.

Confusingly (sorry!) it differs slightly from the set of primates used in the Mammal Diversity Database which I use for my checklist of all mammals. I am happy to explain why if anyone is interested. To summarise let me recycle an old joke about economists… “If you laid all the world’s taxonomists end to end they still wouldn’t reach a conclusion.” Plus unlike the IUCN lists for many species groups, this one is totally up-to-date and very well thought through.

There have been a few changes since last time. Fewer saki monkeys (Anthony even dropped his very own Rylands’ Saki), fewer mouse lemurs and a few other cuts.  I lost 6 species and am still trying to come to terms with it. I haven’t listed the changes here but let me know if you want to see them.

The spreadsheet is attached and also available here.  If you want to add your primate list to the league table then please do!  Instructions are here.

Jon

 

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Primate Checklist

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Jon Hall
Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. I’ve also lived and worked in London, Canberra, Paris and Lusaka, and watched mammals in over 100 countries.
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