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Primates

Mammaculture

Pensacola Jr College

Classification

w Order Primates

w Suborder Prosimii

• 5 families: lemurs, indris, aye-ayes, lorises, galagos

w Suborder Anthropoidea

• tarsiers, tamarins, monkeys, apes

Primate characteristics

w Worldwide, tropics only (except man and a few Old World monkeys)

w Vision primary sense:

• eyes directed forward

• depth perception / overlap

• rods and cones in all diurnal forms

Primates (cont’d)

w Generally bare facial skin

w Loss of olfactory sensitivity

w Generally nails not claws

w Enlargement of braincase, cerebral folding

w Males with scrotal testes

Suborder Prosimii

w Lemurs, indriis, aye-ayes: Madagascar

w Galagos: Africa

w Lorises: Africa, India, SE Asia

w crescent lateral nostril slits

w some nails and some claws

Lemurs

w Approx. 15 species

w Physical characteristics:

• mouse to cat sized

• elongated rostrum / cranium

• somewhat lateral eyes

• upper incisors small / absent

• semi-opposable thumb / toe

• naked ridged foot pads

• long thick tail (communication)

Lemurs (cont’d)

w Most live in troops with dominant female control

w Diurnal forms bask

w Olfactory/vocal important

w 1-2 young, 4 month gestation

w Endangered due to habitat destruction in Madagascar

w Large lemur species extinct

Ring-tailed Lemurs

Black-and-white ruffed lemur

Lorises

w 5 species

w Physical characteristics:

• squirrel sized

• round head / short rostrum

• eyes forward with thin bone

• 1-2 small upper incisors

• semi-opposable thumb / toe

• partly furred foot soles

• no or very short tail

Lorises (cont’d)

w Arboreal and nocturnal

w Insectivores/carnivores

w slow deliberate movement, specialized for grasping

w solitary or family groups

w 1-2 young, 6 month gestation

Slow Loris

Other Prosimians

Aye-aye

Sifaka

Lesser Bush Baby (galago)

Suborder Anthropoidea

w Family Callitrichidae

• marmosets / tamarins

w Family Cebidae

• NW monkeys

w Family Cercopithecidae

• OW monkeys

Suborder Anthropoidea (cont’d)

w Family Hylobatidae

• lesser apes

w Family Pongidae

• great apes

w (Family Hominidae)

Anthropoid characteristics:

w Completely ringed nostrils

w Mostly nails rather than claws

Family Callitrichidae

w Range: South American tropical forests

w Physical characteristics:

• around 1.5 pounds (ex pygmy)

• 5 digits, none opposable

• nail on big toe only, claws

• long non-prehensile tail

Callitrichidae (cont’d)

w Omnivores

w Arboreal

w Monogamous, live in family groups, male shares care

w Usually have twins, average 140 day gestation (triplet issue in captivity)

w bird-like calls

Emperor Tamarin

Cottontop Tamarin

Golden Lion Tamarin

Family Cebidae

w Range: S Mexico, C America, tropical S America

w Physical characteristics:

• thumb semi-opposable or absent, big toe opposeable

• long prehensile tail

• round skull, short rostrum

• nostrils lateral and separated

• NO ischial callosities

Cebidae (cont’d)

w Omnivores

w Diurnal (exc night monkey)

w Arboreal, fast moving

w Family groups or troops

w Vocal communication

w 1 young, 5-6 month gestation

Howler monkey

Owl monkeys (douracouli)

Black-handed spider monkey

Titi monkey

Uacari

Brown capuchin

Squirrel monkey

Family Cercopithecidae

w Range: Africa, SE Asia

w Physical characteristics:

• Opposable thumb and big toe

• Nails, no claws

• Tail never prehensile

• Thick skull, more elongated rostrum (compared to cebids)

• Nostrils close, forward or down

• Ischial callosities

Cercopithecidae (cont’d)

w Diurnal

w Omnivores (ex leaf eaters)

w Arboreal or terrestrial

w Social

w Vocal / facial communication

w 1 young, 6 month gestation (7-8 month in baboons)

Rhesus monkey

Vervet

Patas monkey

Celebes Ape (macaque)

Macaque

Drill

Mandrill

Sacred baboon

Black & White Colubus Monkey

Francois leaf monkey

Proboscis Monkey

Family Hylobatidae

w Range: SE Asia

w Physical characteristics:

• 11-28 pounds

• thumb reduced and opposable

• tail absent

• extremely long arms and fingers (hooklike use)

• extreme in cerebral folding

Hylobatidae (cont’d)

w Forest-dwelling

w Arboreal, brachiators

w Feed on fruit, leaves, flowers, insects

w Monogamous, family groups, highly territorial

w 1 young, 7-8 month gestation, nursed 2 years

Siamang

White-handed Gibbon

Family Pongidae

w Range: Africa, Sumatra, Borneo

w Physical characteristics:

• 100-600 pounds

• opposable thumb, no tail

• forelimb longer than hindlimb

• thick ridged skull

• extreme in cerebral folding

Orangutan

w Range: Sumatra, Borneo

w Females 100 lbs, males 200 lb with cheek pouches

w Solitary/territorial, arboreal

w Primarily frugivores

w 1 young every 3-6 years, gestation 9 months

w Maturity at 8-10 years

Orangutans

Gorilla

w Range: Central Africa (mountain and lowland form)

w Females 200 lbs, males 600 lbs with bony crest and silver back

w Single male harem groups

w Terrestrial (nest in trees)

Gorilla (cont’d)

w Herbivores

w 1 young every 4 years, 9 month gestation period

w Sexually mature at 6-8 years

Gorilla

Chimpanzees / Bonobos

w Range: Central Africa

w 100-175 lbs (bonobos small)

w mixed sex troops of 25-80 with one dominant male

w Arboreal in wet season, terrestrial in dry (tree nests)

w Omnivores

Chimps (cont’d)

w Facial expressions critical

w Advanced tool users

w Gestation 7-8 months

w Chimps: 1 young every 3 yrs, sexually mature at 8-10 yrs

w Bonobos: 1 young in 5 yrs, sexually mature at 16 years

w Bonobo society unusual

Chimpanzee

Bonobo