Download Characteristics of Primates

Chapter 5
An Overview the Primates
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Primates as Mammals
Characteristics of Primates
Primate Adaptations
Primate Taxonomy
A Survey of the Living Primates
Endangered Primates
Primates As Mammals
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There are over 4,000 species of mammals.
Primates are members of the placental
subgroup.
There are approximately 190 species of
nonhuman primates (prosimians, monkeys,
and apes)
Characteristics of Primates:
Limbs and Locomotion
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Tendency toward erect posture.
Flexible, generalized limb structure
Engage in a number of locomotor behaviors.
Characteristics of Primates:
Hands and Feet
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High degree of grasping ability.
5 digits on hand and feet.
Opposable thumb and partially opposable
great toe.
Tactile pads enriched with sensory nerve fibers
at the ends of digits.
Characteristics of Primates:
Diet and Teeth
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Lack of dietary specialization and tend to eat a
wide variety of foods.
Generalized dentition, teeth are not specialized
for processing one type of food.
Characteristics of Primates:
Senses and the Brain
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Color vision (excerpt for nocturnal primates)
Depth perception
Decreased reliance on the sense of smell
(olfaction)
Expansion and increased complexity of the
brain
Characteristics of Primates:
Maturation, Learning, and Behavior
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Longer gestation, fewer offspring, delayed
maturation, and longer life span.
Greater dependence on flexible, learned
behavior.
Tendency to live in social groups.
Tendency for diurnal activity patterns.
Primate Adaptations: Habitats
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Most are found in tropical or semitropical areas
of the New and Old Worlds.
Most are arboreal, living in forest or woodland
habitats.
Some Old World Monkeys have adapted to life
on the ground.
Gorillas and chimpanzees spend considerable
time on the ground.
Primate Adaptations:
Diet and Teeth
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Primates are generally omnivorous.
Most eat a combination of fruits, leaves, and
insects.
Most have four types of teeth: incisors,
canines, premolars and molars.
Primate Adaptations: Locomotion
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Most are quadrupedal, using all four limbs in
their locomotion.
Brachiating (arm swinging) is found among the
apes.
Prehensile tails, found only among the New
World Monkeys, are used as an aid to
locomotion.
Primate Taxonomy
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Order: Primates
Suborders: Prosimii and Anthropoidea
At each succeeding level, finer distinctions are
made until the species level is reached.
Prosimians:
Lemurs, Lorises, Tarsiers
Characteristics:
 Rely on olfaction
 Laterally placed eyes
 Shorter gestation and maturation periods
 Dental specialization - the "dental comb”
Anthropoids
(Monkeys, Apes and Humans)
Characteristics:
 Larger brain and body size
 Reduced reliance on the sense of smell
 Greater degree of color vision
 Bony plate at the back of the eye socket
 Longer gestation and maturation periods
 Fused mandible
Monkeys
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70% of all primate species.
Two groups separated by geographic area and
several million years of evolutionary history.
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New world monkeys
Old world monkeys
Hominoids (Apes and Humans)
Characteristics:
 Larger body size
 Absence of a tail
 Shortened trunk
 Complex brain and enhanced cognitive abilities
 Longer infant development and dependency
Humans (Homo Sapiens)
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Only living species in the family Hominidae.
Primate heritage is evident in anatomy, genetic
makeup and aspects of behavior.
Bipedal