Lec 13 Primates

Which are one of the oldest mammalian orders, likely originating in the Cretaceous?

Order Primates

Primates radiated into tropical systems on all continents except Australia, resulting in which 2 suborders?

• Suborder Strepsirhini

• Suborder Haplorhini

What are 9 distinguishing characteristics of Order Primates?-

1. Forward facing eyes

2. reduced noses

3. loss of vibrissae

4. small, hairless ears

5. color vision

6. power grip

7. precision grip

8. flattened nails

9. tactile pads on digits

How did forward facing eyes help Primates?

binocular vision and depth perception

What characteristics changed in Order Primates with an increased reliance on vision?

reduced noses, loss of vibrissae, and small, hairless ears

Can Order Primates see color?

diurnal species have color vision, nocturnal species don’t

What trait do primates have that gives them power grip and precision grip?

opposable thumbs

• also grasping fingers which aid in power grip

Power grip

holding on

Precision grip

picking up small objects

What gives Primates fingertip protection?

flattened nails

Describe the limb structure of Primates

primitive

• 1 upper limb bone

• 2 lower limb bone

Why is the Primate limb structure considered primitive?

many other mammalian orders have lost various bones, especially fusing the 2 lower limb bones

How has the brain changed in Primates?

progressive expansion and elaboration of the brain, especially cerebral cortex

How are Primates socially?

• greater facial mobility

• greater vocal repertoire

• complicated social organization

What’s significant about Primate reproduction compared to other mammals?

• prolongated postnatal periods

• reduced litter size, usually just one

Describe the teeth of primates

bunodont and brachydont

• complex, biting incisiors, grinding premolars and molars, shearing canines

Which primates’ dental formula does the human maxilla demonstrate?

illustrates dental formula characteristic of Old world monkeys and apes

Which suborder of Primates has as dental comb?

Strepsirhini (prosimian)

Dental comb is formed by which teeth?

procumbent (forward facing) incisors and canines on dentary

• suborder strepsirhini

A shortened muzzle region in primates is associated with reduced use of small and shift to ________________ vision.

binocular, stereoscopic, color vision

How did diets change in primates?

decline in meat and shift to fruits, seeds, and foliage

Where do most Primates live?

tropical or subtropical areas

Most Primates are arboreal, are any fully terrestrial?

No, no non-human primate is adapted to a fully terrestrial environment

• all spend some time in trees

Describe the posture of Primates

tendency toward erect posture, primarily upper body

• sitting, standing, leaping, and some bipedalism

What has been retained in Primates thats often lost in specialized mammals?

• some bones like clavicle

• certain abilities like forearm rotation

The hip and shoulder morphology of Primates allows a wide range of movements such as:

• Knuckle walking

• Brachiation (swinging)

• Bipedalism

Prehensile

grasping

What is prehensile in Primates?

Hands and feet

What allows Primates to see in 3 dimensions (depth perception)?

stereoscopic vision

What is to see with both eyes simultaneously?

Binocular vision

Which areas of the brain expanded and increased in complexity in Primates?

visual areas and areas to do w hands

Describe the parental investment in offspring in Primates

greater parental investment

• longer periods of gestation

• delayed maturation

• extension of whole life span

Primates have a greater dependence on which behavior?

flexible, learned behavior

Describe male association in Primates

permanent association of adult males with group, at least with offspring

Do primates tend to be social or solitary?

social

Do primates tend to be nocturnal or diurnal?

diurnal

Primate anatomical traits evolved as adaptations to what? Which hypotheses arose from this?

environmental circumstances

• angiosperm radiation hypothesis

• arboreal hypothesis

• visual predation hypothesis

What organism had a major diversification of species in the late Cretaceous and Paleocene, resulting in a varity of new resources?

Angiosperms (flowering plants)

• = flowers, fruit, buds, gems, nectars, leaves, bark, pollen

By the late Paleocene, large fruits with stored nutrients appeared, causing which mammals to become important arboreal seed dispersal agents?

bats, rodents, and primates

Did early primates have nails or claws?

nail

What shielded the back of the eye in early Primate species?

postorbital bar

Describe the field of vision of early primates

oriented more forward

Describe early primates

small omnivores that ate gum and searched for nectar, small fruits, and insects in the terminal branches of trees

• found food visually, and sound + smell

• manipulated food with hands

Which hypothesis suggests that basic primate traits were developed in conjunction with the rise of angiosperms?

Angiosperm Radiation Hypothesis

Which hypothesis states that arboreal living was the most important factor in the evolution of primates? Why?

Arboreal hypothesis

• prehensile hand for climbing

• variety of available foods = omnivores and generalized teeth

Which hypothesis says that primates first adapted to shrubby forest undergrowth and forward facing eyes + grasping hands = judge distance + grab insects?

Visual Predation Hypothesis

• says flowering plants indirectly influenced primate evolution by adding to insect diversity

Suborder Strepsirhini, Order Primates

curly-nosed primates

• lemurs, aye-aye, etc

Suborder Haplorhini, Order Primates

dry-nosed primates

• new + old world monkeys, marmosets, gorilla, tarsiers, humans, etc

What is the family, infraorder, suborder, and order of tarsiers?

Family Tarsiidae, Infraorder Tarsiiformes, Suborder Haplorihini, Order Primates

What is the Parvorder, Infraorder, Suborder, and Order of New World Monkeys?

Parvorder Platyrrhini, Infraorder Simiiformes, Suborder Haplorhini, Order Primates

Parvorder Platyrrhini

New world monkeys

What is the Parvorder, Infraorder, Suborder, and Order of Old world monkeys, apes and humans?

Parvorder Catarrhini, Infraorder Simiiformes, Suborder Haplorhini, Order Primates

Parvorder Catarrhini

Old world monkeys, apes and humans

Which suborder of Primates has toothcombs, wet nakes noses, nostrils crescentric slits, and a postorbital bar?

Suborder Strepsirhini

Which suborder of Primates has spatulate incisors, nostrils ringed, dry hairy noses, and a postorbital plate?

Suborder Haplorhini

Postorbital Bar vs Postorbital Plate

• bar does NOT form bony plate between orbit and temporal fossa = can see back of skull through eye socket

• plate separates orbit from temporal fossa = can NOT see back of skull through eye socket

With which structure can you see the back of the skull from the eye socket, postorbital bar or postorbital plate?

Postorbital bar

Which suborder of primates was previously called the prosimians “before the monkeys”?

Suborder Strepsirhini

Which suborder of primates contains lemurs, galagos, lorises, and bushbabies?

Suborder Strepsirhini

Describe the typical prosimian/Strepsirhini skull:

• large eye sockets

• small braincase

• elongated snout

• adaptations for well-developed hearing and smell

Which suborder of primates has rhinarium? What is rhinarium?

Suborder Strepsirhini has rhinarium, which are wet, naked, glandular nostrils

Are most primates in suborder Strepsirhini diurnal or nocturnal?

nocturnal

Which suborder of primates has prominent whiskers, large mobile eyes, large eyes + tapetum lucidum, and a dog-like face w a rostrum (protruding snout)?

Suborder Strepsirhini

Describe the lips of suborder strepsirhini:

divided upper lips attached to gums by a membrane

What allows primates in suborder Strepsirhini to have non-visual communication?

specialized scent glands

Which suborder of primates has a tooth comb formed from lower incisors and canines?

suborder Strepsirhini

Does suborder Strepsirhini have a postorbital bar or a postorbital plate?

postorbital bar

Describe the nails/claws of suborder Strepsirhini:

• grooming claw on second digit of foot

• flat nails everywhere else

How does the uterus of Strepsirrhines differ from the uterus of haplorrhines?

• Strepsirrhines have a bicornuate uterus

• Haplorrhines have a simplex uterus

How does the placenta of Strepsirrhines differ from the placenta of Haplorrhines?

• Strepsirrhines = epitheliochorial placenta

• Haplorrhines = more invasive hemochorial placenta

Order Primate, Suborder Strepsirhini, Family Daubentoniidae

Aye-aye (1,1)

What is the family, suborder, and order of the Aye-aye?

• Family Daubentoniidae

• Suborder Strepsirhini

• Order Primates

Which primate combines rodent like continuously growing teeth with a long, thin, middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker?

Aye-aye

• family daubentoniidae, suborder Strepsirhini, order primates

What is the world’s largest nocturnal primate?

Aye-Aye

• family daubentoniidae

• suborder strepsirhini

• order primates

Family Lorisidae, Suborder Strepsirhini, Order Primates

lorises, angwantibos, pottos

(5, 9)

What is the family, suborder, and order of lorises, angwantibos, and pottos?

• Family Lorisidae

• Suborder Strepsirhini

• Order Primates

Which family of primates have large, forward-facing eyes, small hidden ears, pseudo-opposable thumbs, reduced index finger, and short or missing tails?

Family Lorisidae, Suborder Strepsirhini, Order primates

Describe the grooming claw of Family Lorisidae, a typical feature in Suborder Strepsirhini:

second toe of hind legs has a fine claw for grooming

Are primates in family Lorisidae diurnal or nocturnal? What is their living style?

nocturnal, arboreal

Are primates in family Lorisidae, Suborder Strepsirhini, social?

most lorids are solitary or live in small family groups

Which is the only primate with a toxic bite? Give family and suborder. How is the toxin secreted and used?

Slow loris, family Lorisidae, suborder Strepsirhini

• secreted from glands in elbows and mix w saliva by licking

Family Galagidae, suborder Strepsirhini, order primates

bushbabies, galagos

(3, 19)

Which family in suborder strepsirhini all lives in Africa, are all arboreal and nocturnal, and have well developed limbs and a long tail for balance?

Family Galagidae, bushbabies and galagos

Which family of primates is pentadactyl with the 2nd toe modified as a toilet claw, and has large eyes and acute hearing?

Family Galagidae, suborder Strepsirhini

How does Family galagidae, suborder strepsirhini communicate?

call to each other and mark paths with urine

Which family of primates was once thought to be the evolutionary predecessor of monkeys and apes, and is native to Madagascar?

Family Lemuridae, suborder strepsirhini

Which family of Strepsirrhines lacks a tapetum lucidum, except one of its species?

Family Lemuridae

• exception is ring tailed lemur

What is the diet of lemurids?

herbivorous

• fruit, leaves, smtimes nectar

Which family in suborder Strepsirhini contains the sprotive lemurs, and has only one extant genus, Lepilemur?

Family Lipilemuridae

Which family of primates is the smallest?

Family Chirogaleidae, suborder Strepsirhini

Which family do the dwarf and mouse lemurs belong to?

Family Chirogaleidae

Is family Chirogaleidae social?

usually solitary, smtimes pairs

Feeding habits of Cheirogaleids?

omnivores

Family Indriidae, Suborder Strepsirhini, Order Primates

indriid lemurs, sifakas

(3, 11)

Which family contains medium to large lemurs with only four teeth in toothcomb instead of usual 6?

Family Indriidae, order strepsirhini

Does family indriidae spend all its time in trees?

all species are arboreal, but do come to ground occasionally

Which family of primates has a large cecum and fewer premolar teeth than other lemurs?

Family indriidae, order strepsirhini

Describe the mating of Indriids, suborder strepsirhini:

usually mate monogamously for many years

Which suborder of primates has a dry rhinarium, which more rounded nostrils?

suborder haplorhini

Which suborder of primates has a continuous upper lip that is not attached to the gums?

Suborder haplorhini