Primate Diversity

Adaptive Radiation

Adaptive Radiation

Evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to diverse environments Leads to speciation and organisms become differentiated from one another and common ancestor

Plesiadapiforms

Archaic primates Not a direct ancestor of primtes

What is like a primate but is not a primate

Tree shrew and flying lemurs

Dermoptera

flying lemurs and colugos

Locomotion of primates

Pentadactyly , fingerprints, grasp extremities, nails over claws

Pentadactyly

Five digits

Challitrichids

Re-evolved to have claws Tamarins and Marmosets

Suspensory

Hanging on branches

Arboreal Quadrupedalism

Mode of locomotion in which the animal moves along the horizontal branches with a regular gait pattern involving all four limbs

Terrestrial Quadrupedalism

four-limbed locomotion on the ground; ex. baboons and patas monkeys

Vertical Clinging and Leaping

A locomotor pattern characteristic of several primates, including tarsiers and galagos. The animal normally rests by clinging to a branch in a vertical position and uses its hind limbs alone to push off from one vertical position to another.

Knuckle walking

A form of movement used by chimpanzees and gorillas that is characterized by all four limbs touching the ground, with the weight of the arms resting on the knuckles of the hands

Primate Sensory

Enhanced vision, forward face eyes, stereoscopic vison, reduced olfaction

stereoscopic vison

overlapping visual fields

Fast life history

Larger litters, little parental care, rapid development, short lifespan

Precocial

hatched or born in an advanced state and able to feed itself almost immediately.

Altricial

Offspring that are completely dependent on parental care

Primate Dental Adaptations

General dental pattern, omnivore, heterodont, 32-36 teeth

Heterodont

Having different tooth shape (human)

Homodont

Having same tooth shape (Crocodile)

Arboreal Hypothesis

hypothesis for the origin of primate adaptation that focuses on the value of grasping hands and stereoscopic vision for life in the trees

Angiosperm Co-evolution Hypothesis

Primate traits reflect adaptation to eating fruits, flowers, & seeds. • Emphasis on frugivorous diet

Strepsirrhines

lemurs, lorises, bushbabies, pottos

• wet nose

• tapetum lucidum

• Orbits not fully enclosed

• Two part mandible

• Toilet/grooming claw on second toe

• Tooth comb in lower jaw

• sharp teeth

Tooth comb

incisors to groom and grabbing parasites

Haplorhines

tarsiers, old and new world monkeys, apes, humans -large brain to body size -orbits enclosed in bone -dry nose -mostly diurnal -don't produce vitamin C

Lemurs

-Only found in the wild in Madagascar -Some terrestrial some arboreal -Nocturnal or diurnal -mainly frugivorous -solitary and gregarious

gregarious

sociable

Lorise and Galagos

-Nocturnal -Solitary -arboreal -Fruit, gum and insects

Rhinarium

The naked surface around the nostrils, typically wet in mammals.

Tapetum Lucidum

eye shine

Tarsiers

-South East Asia -Nocturnal -arboreal -nostrils separated from mouth by dry upper lip -orbit encased in bone -eats insects and small cerebrates -solidary, pair bonded, some groups -massive eyes (to see in dark) -no eye shine

Anthropoidea

monkeys, apes, and humans -reduced muzzle -dry nose -nails -complete bony eye orbit -fused lower jaw

Platyrrhines

new world monkeys -all diurnal except Aotus (owl monkey) -arboreal -smaller new worlds (calltrichae), some pair bond or polyandrous, gum -larger new worlds, multi male-multi female or one male unit, fruits

Calltrichidae

(Marmosets, tamarins) small, claw-like nails, twins, male care of infants

Oligocene

The geological epoch 34 million to 24 million years ago during which definite anthropoids emerged -separation of Africa and South America

New World Monkeys

Platyrrhines -Found in South America -some have a prehensile tail -3 molars (2.1.3.3) -all arboreal -no ear tube

prehensile tail

A tail that acts as a kind of a hand for support in trees, common in New World monkeys.

Catarrhines

Old World Monkeys, Apes, Humans -2 molars 2.1.2.3 -ear tube -all diurnal -arboreal or terrestrial -ischial callosities -social and diet vary

ischial callosities

butt pads

Cercopithecoidea

old world monkeys

Colobines

OWM - Leaf eating -special stomach acid -reduce/absent of thumbs -mostly arboreal -mostly folivores

folivores

leaf eaters

Cercopithecines

Sub group of OWM -Cheek poaches for fruits and nuts -social and diet vary -both arboreal and terrestrial -strong female bonds

Hominoidea

apes and humans -gregarious (except orangutans) -mostly frugivores (except gorillas) -arboreal and terrestrial -social system is diverse

frugivores

fruit eaters

Morphology

study of form

Great Ape Phylogeny

Gibbons -> Orangutans -> Gorillas -> Chimps -> Bonobos -> Humans

Tarsiiformes

Tarsiers

Prosimians

lemurs, lorises, tarsiers

Crown Primates

the group that includes all the descendants (both living and extinct) of the last common ancestor of living primates

Orbit

eye socket