233 what are primates

What’s important

Primate evolutionary trendsTaxonomic classifications down to family

Subfamily in case of Old World anthropoidsCharacteristics of various groups:

Prosimians New World monkeys Old World monkeys Apes

PRIMATE TAXONOMYAND

CHARACTERISTICS

Suborder

Infraorder

Superfamily

Family

Infraorder:-formes; Superfamily:-oidea; Family:-idae; Subfamily:-inae, and Parvorder & tribe:–ini

(Strepsirhini)

Prosimians

Catarrhini

Suborder: Anthropoidea (Haplorrhini – dry/simple-nosed primates – includes tarsiers)

Infraorder: Simiiformes Parvorder: Catarrhini

EVOLUTIONARY TRENDS

NAPIER AND NAPIER

LE GROS CLARK

Generalized/unspecialized skeletonallows varied locomotion

Pentadactyly, prehensility, opposability, nails, tactile pads

Reduction of snout/muzzle and olfaction

Increased visual acuity, color perception, binocular and stereoscopic vision

Generalized dentition/diet

Dental formula

Increased complexity of brain, especially cerebral cortex

Increase in efficiency of prenatal fetal nourishment

Tendency toward upright posture Capable of bipedalism at least for short periods

Long pre- and postnatal life periods with greater reliance on learned behavior

Tendency toward diurnality

PROSIMIANS

Suborder

Infraorder

Superfamily

Family

PROCUMBENT INCISORS / DENTAL COMB

Tendency toward VCL

More pronounced muzzle Higher reliance on olfaction Scent marking

Mulitple scent glands Moist rhinarium Immobile upper lip Inexpressive face Large laterally oriented eyes

Most species nocturnal Tapetum lucidum

Higher reliance on audition Mobile ears

Digits act together in power grip

Multiple pairs of teats Frequent multiple

births

TARSIERS

NEW WORLD MONKEYS

PARVORDERS: Platyrrhini: rounded widely-spaced nostrils

Catarrhini: narrow downward-facing nostrils

ARBOREAL

Long tails norm Some prehensile

2-1-3-3 dental formula

Twinning in Callitrichines

Catarrhini

Catarrhini (relative to Platyrrhini)

2-1-2-3 Expanded ischial tuberosities Larger-bodied (in general) More folivorous and

terrestrial species More complex derived brain Nose

OLD WORLD MONKEYS

CERCOPITHECINES

OLD WORLD MONKEYS

COLOBINES

Evolutionarily successful / Taxonomically diverse

More closely resemble earliest anthropoids than do apes

Many have long tails and sexual swellings

Ischial callosities Opposable thumbs except

African colobines – thumbless (see left)

APES

Suspensory hanging adaptation

LESSER APES

Relative to great apes Smaller Gracile skeleton More primitive but most

specialized Monomorphic Shorter snouts Long canines ↑IMI

Longer upper limbs/hands Long curved fingers, no thumb Strictly arboreal Ischial callosities Most lack sexual swellings

GREAT APES

Relative to lesser apes

Less suspensory Varying degrees of terrestriality Build nests Larger-bodied Longer-lived Long developmental/dependency period Sexually dimorphic In captivity, symbolic behavior seen