Too much to know about primates

Features of primates

1. forward facing eyes

2. large binocular field (stereopsis to create depth perception)

3. high visual acuity

4. orbital plate

5. larger visual cortex in brain

6. prehensile hands with abducted pollux

7. prehensile feet with abducted hallux

8. flattened nails (not claws)

9. large, sensitive apical pads

10. small litter size

11. long gestation and infant dependency periods

12. gregarious social groups

phylogenetically based classification

strepsirrhine and haplorrhine (including tarsiers)

ecologically based classification

Prosimiian (including tarsiers) and anthropoidea

Tarsier features

small size

nocturnal (large eyes)

faunivorous diet

only found in Asia

1-9 individuals in social group

Shared derived features between anthropoids and tarsiers

reduced size and complexity of nasal cavity

loss of rhinarium

Derived features of strepsirrhines

grooming claw, tooth comb, found in Asia, Africa, and Madagascar

Families in infraorder lemuriformes

1. cheirogaleidae

2. indriidae

3. lemuridae

4. lepilemuridae

5. daubentoniidae

Families in infraorder lorisiformes

1. galagidae

2. lorisidae

Fat tailed dwarf lemur

family cheirogaleidae: hibernates for a long period of time without costly metabolism jumpstarts due to climate

Mouse lemur

family cheirogaleidae: dispersed social groups with matrolines that sleep and raise together. Lots of sperm competition among males

Fork marked lemur

family cheirogaelidae: feed on gum, have reevolved claws to gouge gum. live in dispersed pairs that forage in opposite directions

Family Indriidae

All vertical clingers with upright posture for leaping

Indrii

family indriidae: diurnal, largest extant lemur, sing to defend territory

Avahi/woolly lemur

family indriidae: nocturnal, pair-living

Sifaka

family indriidae: diurnal, highly social, nipples located at armpits for infant security during locomotion

Ring-tailed lemurs

Family lemuridae: highly social matriarchy. Semi-terrestrials that stink fight and stink flirt

True lemur

family lemuridae: cathemeral and dichromatic.

a>b>c but c>a social hierarchy

Bamboo lemur

family lemuridae: cathemeral or diurnal, highly social, eat bamboo

ruffed lemur

family lemuridae: litters and communal care of infants

Features of lepilemurids

"sportive" lemurs, often small and highly folivorous.

Aye-ayes

family daubentoniidae: solitary, nocturnal hunters with a tapping claw. They are socially taught how to tap to find insects (often by a mother). Large brains

bushbabies

family galagidae: nocturnal, either quadrapedal or cling and leap. Eat gum, fruits, insects and live in small dispersed groups

slow loris

family lorisidae: small groups, nocturnal. Eat gum and insects. The only venemous primate (venom gland in arm)

Slender loris

family lorisidae: nocturnal insectivore with long limbs

Pottos and angwantibos

family lorisidae: eats gums, fruits, insects

Derived features of anthropoids

1. post orbital closure (plate) behind eye

2. fused mandibular symphysis

3. larger brain for size

4. fused frontal bone

Derived features of prosimians

1. unfused mandibular symphysis

2. unfused frontal bone

3.lack of post-orbital plate

Infraorders within haplorrhini

1. tarsiformes (tarsiers)

2. platyrrhini (new world monkeys)

3. catarrhini

4. anthropoidea (superfamilies cercopithecoidea and hominidae)

Features of platyrrhines and cercopithecoidea

1. makeup >60% of extant primates

2. larger body size than strepsirrhini

3. reduction of hindlimb length relative to forelimbs

4. good stereoscopic vision

5. reduced reliance on olfaction (fewer bones in nasal cavity)

6. longer gestation and smaller litters

7. diurnal

Features of platyrrhines

1. flat noses with outward facing nostrils and wide septum

2. mostly arboreal and contained in the amazon basin

3. wide size variability

4. highly diverse social organization

5. new world monkeys

6. 2:1:3:3 dental formula

subfamilies in Pithecidae

1. pithecinae (bearded sakis and uakaris)

2. pithecinae (sakis)

3. callicebinae

Families in infraorder platyrrhini

1. Pithecidae

2. Cebidae

3. Atelidae

Subfamilies in family cebidae

1. aotinae

2. cebinae

3. callitrichinae

subfamilies in family atelidae

1. alloatinae

2. atelinae

Features of subfamily pithecinae (sakis)

1. found in Amazon and orinoco basin (terra firme)

2. family groups

3. hard unripe fruits and seeds

4. Procumbent large incisors and robust jaws

5. sexually dimorphic and dichromatic

Features of subfamily pithecinae (uakaris, bearded sakis)

1. found in Amazon and orinoco basin (tropical rainforests that are seasonally flooded)

2. large, wide ranging multimale and multifemale groups

3. diet of hard, unripe fruits and seeds

4. Procumbent large incisors and robust jaws

Features of subfamily callicebinae

1. found in tropical forests in Amazon and Orinoco basin as well as Brazil's Atlantic forests

2. family groups with bonding and coordinated activity (involved fathers)

3. fruit and insects

4. sexually monomorphic with small canines

Titi monkeys

Features of subfamily aotinae

1. Panama through Northern Argentina forests

2. live in family groups

3. mostly nocturnal (except in southern most landscapes)

4. frugivorous

5. extensive paternal care

Species of subfamily cebinae

Capuchins

Squirrel Monkeys

- occasional polyspecific associations with Capuchins

- both have allomaternal care

Features of Capuchins

1. Costa Rica to Northern Argentina

2. multimale, multifemale groups

3. most breeding in group done by alpha male

4. omnivorous

5. tool use and extractive foraging in some populations

Features of squirrel monkeys

1. Costa Rica to Amazon

2. large multimale, multifemale groups

3. somewhat segregated sexes

4. female dominant until mating season

5. insect and fruits (cheek teeth have sharp cusps)

Species of family callitrichinae

1. marmosets

2. tamarins

3. lion tamarins

4. goeldi's monkeys

Features of callitrichinae

1. small body size

2. secondarily derived claws (scansorial vertical climbing)

3. loss of 3rd molars (aside from goeldi's)

4. highly variable group mating

5. 1 dominant female suppresses reproduction in other females

6. birth twins (except goeldi's)

7. males provide care

Subfamilies in family atelidae

1. allouattinae

2. atelinae

Features of allouattinae

1. howler monkeys

2. Mexico through Argentina

3. morphological adaptation for leaf eating

4. 1 male or multimale multifemale structure

5.loud singing to advertise location

features of atelinae

1. spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, muriquis

2. large MM,MF groups

3. center of social group is related males

4. adult females disperse at maturity

Subfamilies in Family Cercopithecidae (from superfamily cercopithecoidea from infraorder catarrhini)

1. Cercopithecinae

2. Colobine

Features of Cercopithecoidea

1. Forests of sub-saharan and saharan Africa, temporal South and Southeast Asia

2. trichromatic color vision

3. reduced reliance on olfaction (narrow nasal cavity, downward facing nostrils)

4. less diverse social organization

5. bilophodont molars

Bilophodont molars

molars with 4 cusps organized in a square to create 2 ridges in sides of molars

Features of subfamily Cercopithecinae

1. Cheekpouches

2. wide range of body sizes

3. omnivorous diets

4. bunodont molars, unmodified guts, ischial callosites*, sexual swellings*

5. 1 male, MF or MM, MF groups (sometimes they're large groups made of several 1-male groups)

Tribes in subfamily cercopithecinae

1. Papionini

2. Cercopithecini

Species in tribe Papionini

African genera: mandrill, drill, baboons, geladas

Asian genera (MACAQUES): macaca fuscata, macaca nigra, macaca arctoides, macaca mulatta

Species in tribe cercopithecini

African genera: pata, swamp monkey, vervet, guenons

Features of subfamily colobine

1. inhabit wide range of ecosystems (rainforests, semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, mountainous forests)

2. less sexually dimorphic

3. folivorous (sacculated stomach, elongated gut (SI)), shearing crests on molars)

4. 1 male or MM,MF groups

5. sometimes very large multilevel groups form from multiple one male groups

6. allomaternal care

3 groups of Colobine subfamily

1. colobus (Africa)

2. langurs (leaf monkeys in asia)

3. odd nosed monkeys (in Asia)

Features of hominoids (apes)

1. NO TAIL

2. broad chests

3. upright posture

4. flexible shoulders

5. big brains

Features of chimps (pan troglodyte)

1. born with light skin and darken with age

2. live in tropical forests or grasslands (overlap territory with gorillas)

3. eastern and western populations

4. lethal aggression towards outsiders

5. patriarchy

6. enduring male social bonds

7. hunt/eat meat and use tools

Features of bonobos (pan paniscus)

1. matriarchy

2. born with dark skin

3. parted hair

4. occupy Congo Basin

5. tense but friendly with other groups

6. frequent coalitions between females

7. frequent sexual behaviors for soothing

Features of Gorillas

1. Western (gorilla gorilla) in West Africa swamps and crossrivers (endangered)

2. Eastern (gorilla beringei) in mountains and lowlands

3. MM,MF or 1 male MF with adolescents dispersing

4. males get white or silver hair at the back

5. overlap land with chimps

6. plant based diet

Features of Orangutans (pongo)

1. Borneo and sumatra populations

2. very endangered (palm oil industry)

3. Large sexual dimorphism

4. dimorphism between males with flange (cheekpouch) to show defense of territory

5. relatively solitary/semi social

Features of family Hylobatidae

(gibbons)

1. lesser ape = smaller in size

2. brachiation and arm swinging in locomotion

3. family or pair living (often monogamous or pair bonded)

Families in Superfamily hominoidea

1. hylobatidae (lesser apes)

2. hominidae (apes with gorilla, pongo, homo, and pan genus)