In recent years, comparative observations of primate anatomies have been extended using measurements and computer analyses: morphometrics. A question then follows. Can we extend field observations of animal lifestyles using measurement and computer analysis, using, in other words, a new «niche metrics», for comparison with the morphometrics of animal anatomies? This has been attempted (Oxnard, Crompton & Lieberman, 1990) by «measuring» 17 lifestyle variables (on locomotion, environment and diet) for 28 prosimian primate species. These data have been analysed by multivariate statistical methods entirely similar to those used in morphometrics. The results define groups of prosimian species that seem not to be related directly with taxonomy and evolution, but with functional adaptation to lifestyle. Comparisons between the morphometric and niche metric results reveal a degree of similarity of species grouping in each that is apparently related to adaptation and remarkably detailed. But further study of both the morphometric and niche metric results suggests that questions pertaining to evolution may also be asked. Thus, both morphometric investigations seeking clusterings of anatomical variables and niche metric studies seeking clustering of higher taxonomic groups of species produce results that seem to be of developmental and phylogenetic rather than directly adaptive import. Through the combination of these two approaches, it may eventually be possible to partition both evolutionary and adaptive components, even though, of course, there must always be overlap between them.