Primates Burn Half the Calories Other Mammals Do

New research shows that humans and other primates burn 50 percent fewer calories each day than other mammals. The study, published in PNAS, suggests that these remarkably slow metabolisms explain why humans and other primates grow up so slowly and live such long lives. The study also reports that primates in zoos expend as much energy as those in the wild, suggesting that physical activity may have less of an impact on daily energy expenditure than is often thought.

Most mammals, like the family dog or pet hamster, live a fast-paced life, reaching adulthood in a matter of months, reproducing prodigiously (if we let them), and dying in their teens if not well before. By comparison, humans and our primate relatives (apes, monkeys, tarsiers, lorises and lemurs) have long childhoods, reproduce infrequently, and live exceptionally long lives. Primates’ slow pace of life has long puzzled biologists because the mechanisms underlying it were unknown.

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