Primates

PrimatesAnthropology

Primatology

Mammalian CharacteristicsFur covering bodyEndothermyViviparousMammary glandsOmnivorous -Specialized teeth

Primate CharacteristicsOpposable thumbsPrehensile (Grasping) hands & feetForward facing eyes (Stereoscopic vision determines depth perception)Large cerebrumsClavicle (Allows arms to increase in mobility)Prehensile tailRotating forearmColor visionSingular births (Quality, not quantity)

Primate Social FeaturesDiurnalLong dependency period (Allows infants to observe & learn)Play or imitation (Important for learning, practicing skills)

Primate Phylogeny

Primate ClassificationProsimians premonkeysLemurs Lorises Tarsiers

Anthropoids New world monkeys (Platyrrhines)Old world monkeys (Catarrhines)Lesser apes (Gibbons & Siamangs)Great apes (Orangutans, gorillas, & ChimpanzeesHumansProsimian TraitsBetter sense of smell than vision (Use scent glands or urine to mark territory)

Mobile ears

Longer snouts

Single offspring (twins are common in some species)

Quadrupedal

Vertical clinging & leaping

Arboreal

Nocturnal

Kingdom:

AnimaliaPhylum:Chordata

Class:Mammalia

Order:Primates

Suborder:Strepsirrhini

Prosimian TypesSUBORDER - Strepsirhines (Wet nosed) All have a dental comb (Tightly clustered incisors & canine teethused for grooming)FOUND IN MADAGASCARLemurs (vegetarians, females dominate males for food)IndrisAye-ayesFOUND IN SOUTHEAST ASIALoris (Slow, hand over hand, quadrupedal movement)Bushbabies (Quick, active, kangaroo hop on the ground)

SUBORDER - Haplorhines (Dry nosed)FOUND IN PHILIPPINES & INDONESIATarsiers Carnivorous, named from elongated tarsal bones

BushbabyMadagascar

Southeast asia

Philippines

ProsimiansLemurs

Indris

Aye-Ayes

Lorises

Walk slowly, hand over handAlso vertical leapersBushbabies

Family : GalagonidaeTarsiers

AnthropoidsTypesHumansApesMonkeys

TraitsRounded braincaseNon-mobile outer earsSmall flat faces without muzzlesHighly developed placentaDextrous hands

GroupingPlatyrrhines New world monkeys (Central & South Americas)Catarrhines Old world monkeys (Africa, Asia, & Europe)

PlatyrrhinesNew worldHave broad flat-bridged nosesNostrils facing outwardMost have prehensile tailCompletely arboreal

Two groupsMarmosetsTamarinsCebid monkeysMarmosets & TamarinsVery small

Have claws instead of nails

Give birth to twins

Some Monogamy, others Polyandry

Omnivores (fruit, tree sap, insects)

Fathers aid in parental care (carrying of young)

MarmosetsName means a grotesque figure or ugly little boy

genera: Callithrix Tamarins

CebidsLarger than marmosetsSingle offspringOminvores

Capuchin monkey

Howler monkeysCebidsNew world monkeys Preyed on by ocelots and jaguars

Communicate by urinating on themselves and rubbing a tree

Thumbs that cannot grip against the fingers

CatarrhinesOld world = CERCOPITHECOIDSSome arboreal, some terrestrial, some both

Colobine MonkeysAsian langursAfrican colobus

Langur Monkey

Colobus

Colobine MonkeysArboreal

Herbivorous leaves & seeds

Mothers allow other group members to care for their infants shortly after birth

Males not in group will kill infants

Cercopithecine MonkeysExhibit sexual dimorphismMales larger than femalesMales have longer canine teethMales are more aggressive

Depend more on fruit than colobine monkeys

Have cheek pouches to carry/store food

Have ischial callosities to make sitting in trees or land for a long time more comfortable, and for sexual displays

Mandrillus sphinx

Mandrill BaboonsJapanese & RhesusMacaques

Ischial Callosities (Callouses)

HominoidsLesser apes hylobatesGreat apes pongidsHumans hominids

General TraitsLarge brains (Cerebral cortex)Long armsShort, broad trunksNo tails

Hylobates Lesser apesGibbons & SiamangsOmnivores (Fruit, leaves, & insects)BrachiatorsMonogamousNo sexual dimorphism

Gibbons

SiamangsName means Dwells in trees

PongidsOrangutansGorillasChimpanzees

OrangutansFound only in Sumatra & BorneoName means people of the forestSexually dimorphic (Males ~200 lbs larger with cheek pads, throat pouches, and beards)Heaviest arboreal primatesEat mainly fruit

Live solitary livesMaybe due to lack of foodMaybe easier to hide from human predatorsMaybe large size prevents natural predation, so no need to live in groups

GorillaHerbivorous

Have unique nose prints

Largest of the apes (Males up to 450 lbs and females up to 250 lbs)

Knuckle walking to distribute weight

Dominant male called a silverback

Average adult male eats 50 lbs of food per day

ChimpanzeesFrom the genus Pan

Arboreal & terrestrial (move best on the ground)

Uses tools such as leaves for personal hygiene or drinking water

Have ability to learn sign language

Eat lizards, birds and actively hunt larger animals (Colobus monkeys & baboons)

Knuckle-walk