61 is a prime number. A prime number is defined as a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. In the case of 61, the only factors are 1 and 61, which means it cannot be divided evenly by any other numbers. This distinguishes it from composite numbers, which have additional divisors. Therefore, since 61 meets the criteria for a prime number, we can confidently classify it as such.