| taxonomy | "A classification based on similarities and differences. In biology, the science of categorizing organisms and of naming them so as to re-flect their relationships."
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| notochord | A stiff cartilaginous rod that supports the body and protects the dorsal nerve. The evolutionary precursor of the vertebral column.
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| phenetic taxonomy | A classification system based on existing phenotypic features and adaptations.
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| taxa | "Categories within a taxonomic classification; singular, taxon"
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| cladistics | A classification system based on order of evolutionary branching rather than on present similarities and differences.
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| shared derived characteristics | Phenotypic features shared by two or more taxonomic groups that are derived from a common ancestor and that are not found in other groups.
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| bipedal | Walking on two legs.
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| quadrupedal | Walking on all four limbs.
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| stereoscopic vision | Three-dimensional vision; depth perception.
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| prehensile | Having the ability to grasp.
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| brachiation | Locomotion by swinging arm-over-arm.
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| opposability | The ability to touch (oppose) the thumb to the tips of the other fingers on the same hand.
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| postnatal dependency | The period after birth during which offspring require the care of adults to survive.
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| intelligence | "The relative ability of the brain to acquire, store, retrieve, and process information."
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| dominance hierarchy | "A social pattern among animal species where there are recognized individual differences in power, influence, and access to resources and mating. Found in many primate species."
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| grooming | "Cleaning the fur of another animal, which promotes social cohesion. Common among primate groups."
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| estrus | The period of female fertility or the signals indicating this condition.
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| symbolic | A communication system that uses arbitrary but agreed-upon sounds and signs for meaning.
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