Week Seven Notes: The Stepsirhines: Lemurs and Lorises Prosimians(Same thing as Stepsirhines): Lemurs, Lorises, Tarsiers: Most primitive of the primates Exhibit the fewest derived traits (as a group) of all primates Ancestral Characteristics (ie. Inherited from mammals) • Rely more on olfaction • Moist noise and long snout • Eyes slightly more lateral Classification of Prosimians: Lemurs, Lorises, and Tarsiers Order- primates Suborder: Strepsirhines (used to be Prosimians)…
The White-Nosed Coati (Nausa Narica) belongs to the Procyonidae family and is a relative of the raccoon. The most prominent feature that distinguishes Nausa Narica is it’s long tail, which extends to about 50 cm in length, and accounts for approximately half of its total body span. The white-nosed coati inhabits dry and moist forests all throughout South America where climbing trees are an important aspect of their day-to-day life. The main predators of the white-nosed coati, boas and hunting cats and birds of prey, are also adapted to arboreal life making efficient climbing and balance while climbing crucial for the coatis survival. The length of their tail thus presents itself as an acquired trait that enables them to maintain balance as they climb trees in addition to its uses in the social organization of the species. As Hass and Valenzuela (2002) observed in Nausa narica their tail has uses in the social organization within a population against the threat of predators. The length of their tail allows them to be seen over tall grasses and vegetation when on the ground, enabling them to communicate with each other as well as communicate to the predator that they have been identified as a potential threat. It has not yet been established whether the white-nosed coati would have the same survival and reproductive success in their environment with their existing predators if their tails were shorter in length resembling that of its close relative the raccoon, although it seems plausible. The length of the white-nosed coatis (Nausa narica) tail is an adaptation in response to the external threat of predators that affects their survival within their environment.…
One of the most interesting primates living on this earth is the Siamang gibbon. I first found these primates interesting while I was at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago years ago because of their unique sound they make with their giant throats that sounds like a howl but has rhythm like a song. They have distinct features unlike other gibbons and they sure know how to make a scene or at least noticeable to visitors. Although my visit was very vague, these primates are still imprinted in my memory.…
As Martin Buber once said, “an animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language”. As the years go by, numerous animals are becoming extinct by man’s lack of compassion. They used to roam freely, without fear, in the wild, although; with rising population, the wilderness is no longer their home. Therefore, the animals are forced to share their land with uncompassionate humans. One example is the Borneo Pygmy Elephant found in Southeast Asia. Their thriving population has diminished to less than 1,500 in the past years. An analysis of the endangered Borneo Pygmy Elephant shows their characteristics and habitat, what is threatening them, and how they can be saved.…
The New World monkeys (Platyrrhines) can be divided into two families: the Cebidae and the Callitrichidae (the Callimico is also a Platyrrhine and shares many of the characteristics of the callichitrids, but the position of the Callimico within the Platyrrhines will not be considered here). The Callitrichidae family includes the marmosets and the…
The sciencemag.com article “Anti-Alzheimer’s Gene may have Led to the Rise of Grandparents” by Kelli Whitlock Burton talks about the how the protective variant of the CD33 gene may explain why humans have grandmothers that help with child rearing. The article explains the “grandmother hypothesis” that says humans live such long and healthy lives even after they are no longer able to reproduce because they help with child rearing. The CD33 gene plays a big role in Alzheimer’s disease and scientists Ajit Varki and Pascal Gagneux discovered that there are two variants of it: a protective allele and a damaging one.…
This change moves tarsiers (Under the new classification, tarsiers would now be moved to monkeys and apes due to genetic data. )…
Before Jane Goodall’s discovery scientists believed that non-human primates lived simple life. It turns out that they are highly intelligent, emotional creatures that live in complex societies. This new discovery lead people to feel compassion and concern for the animals. Leakey’s once said “new we must redefine tool, redefine man, or consider chimpanzees as humans”. We now see that we are not alone with being advanced that there are other non-human primates that also are advancing.…
Primate socio-ecology varies and has different determinants that decide many different characteristics. As a virtual paleontologist, we discovered two different sites and skeletal remains in Kenya and deductively reasoned their mating habits, group size, and several other characteristics about the Praeanthropus dimorphicus and the Praeanthropus monomorphicus with what I know about primate socio-ecology. Based on my prior knowledge, logic, and reasoning, by looking at skeletal remains we are able to deduce many different features included in primate socio-ecology for these two different species that include: group size, diet, mating system, habitat, and finally ranging behavior and territoriality.…
Capuchins have traditionally been in the genus, Cebus Erxleben from the family Cabidae. There had been four species recognized among the capuchins, such as: Cebus albifrons, Cebus olivaceus, Cebus capucinus, and Cebus apella, all of which are a taxonomy that dominated capuchin history for an approximation of 50 years (Lynch Alfaro et al., 2014). Over the years more capuchins had been recognized as well such as, Cebus kaapori, Cebus libidinosus, Cebus nigritus, Cebus queirozi, and finally Cebus xanthosternos. In a physical sense, capuchin monkeys weigh around six to twelve pounds and live over five decades. In contrast to New World Monkeys, they have robust jaw and dental structures, large brains…
Nonhuman Primate Research Assignment The Nonhuman Primate Research Assignment helped me better understand the diverse characteristics and tendencies of primates. Not only did it assist in delivering vast knowledge but gave me a better appreciation for zoos. The zoo I chose was the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens. It was an enjoyable experience as I went with my family and became a family bonding trip.…
The first type of primate I observed was a Bolivian Grey Titi Monkey which is a type of new world monkey species found in areas of eastern Bolivia and also can be found in Brazil. The scientific term for this species is Callicebus donacophilus. These types of monkeys have medium sized body structures and do not exhibit sexual dimorphism between male and females. The Grey titi monkey is diurnal making them mostly active during the day. They are also arboreal, which means that this species spends most of its life living in the trees. I noticed that this type of monkey is able to travel around on the ground and move throughout the trees very quickly. Since they are able to move around so quickly and have a sustainable life in the trees, I think that is how they avoid potential predators or larger animals that would be a threat on lower levels. The form of locomotion that they mostly use is walking, using all four limbs to support their bodies, which makes them quadralpedlic. Their diet primarily contains of fruits, leaves and insects that they forage by searching on the ground and using their hands to reach in the trees to obtain it. There is a strong bond between adults mating pairs. Evidence of the bond was observed through their behavior and proximity of the pair, while resting on a branch, I observed the pair with their tails intertwined with one another. When separated to communicate within the small range of their cage, I noticed that both used high pitch squeaks to call and find their partner. While observing…
Primates are one of the most interesting mammals on earth, not only because of their complex social structures, but because they hold so many similar characteristics to humans. Primates are often cited as our closest living relatives and on two separate occasions I observed four separate species of primates at the San Diego Zoo that can justify their use of their physical characteristics and behaviors that may be similar as well as different to the other primates and ours.…
The closest living relative to humans are primates. The study of primates and their behaviors is primatology. Primatology provides a better understanding of the many aspects of the research, preservation and conservation of primates. The field of primatology has been fortunate to have several outstanding scientists, among them Jane Goodall, the late Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas. Each of them has accomplished considerable works documenting and interpreting the lives of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.…
There is a lot I learned studying the primates. Primates are very fascinating and I think there is a lot more to learn about them. Primates have many different characteristics and because of this they are classified in different groups of species. I did my observation on prosimians, monkeys, and apes as well. The observation was conducted at the Sacramento Zoo of nine primate species. Out of the nine there are three primates that caught my attention and it’s the Ring Tail Lemur, White Faced Saki, and the Chimpanzee. All the observation took place almost in the afternoon during their feeding time and they were not that active but were still able to observe their behavior.…