Primate Adaptations and Behavior

Question 1

Primate Characteristics

Answer 1

▪ extant vs extinct
▪ hair
▪ sweat glands, mammary glands
▪ viviparous (live young)
▪ long ontogeny
▪ heterodont
▪ endothermic
▪ larger brain
▪ capacity for learning and behavioral flexibility

Question 2

Limbs and Locomotion

Answer 2

▪ tendency towards erect posture (vertical spine position)
▪ flexible, generalized limb structure (move in trees and ground)
▪ engage in a number of locomotor behaviors
▪ prehensile (grasping) hands and feet, sometimes tails
▪ differ from most mammals
▪ pentadactyly
▪ opposable thumb/big toe
▪ nails
▪ highly innervated tactile pads (nerve) at the end of digits – enhanced sense of touch

Question 3

prehensile

Answer 3

grasping hands and feet, sometimes tails

Question 4

pentadactyly

Answer 4

5 digits on hands and feet

Question 5

opposable thumb/big toe

Answer 5

can touch thumb with other digits

Question 6

quadrupedal

Answer 6

moving on four limbs

Question 7

bipedal

Answer 7

moving on two limbs

Question 8

arboreal

Answer 8

active in the trees

ex. feeding, sleeping, socializing

Question 9

terrestrial

Answer 9

active on the ground; more common in larger species

Question 10

Vertical clingers and leapers

Answer 10

elongated hindlimbs (asks like springs)

ex. some lemurs, tarsiers

Question 11

brachiation

Answer 11

▪ suspension
▪ elongated arms and hands, curved phalanges, cupped hands, extensive arm musculature

ex. gibbons and siamangs

Question 12

prehensile tail

Answer 12

grasping tail that acts like a limb

ex. some New World monkeys from central and south America (howler monkeys)

Question 13

knucklewalking

Answer 13

resting on middle set of phalanges

ex. African apes, gorillas

Question 14

Dentition and Diet

Answer 14

▪ unspecialized teeth/generalized dentition – omnivorous diet
▪ fruit, leaves, gums, seeds, insects, honey, meat

Question 15

Dental formula

Answer 15

▪ # and type of each kind of tooth in each quadrant of the jaw
▪ distinguishes primate groups
▪ #incisors: # canines: # premolars: # molars

Question 16

Dental morphology

Answer 16

▪ size, shape
▪ cusps: bumps on chewing surface of tooth

ex. cats have sharp teeth to eat meat

Question 17

Senses and the Brain

Answer 17

▪ large, complex brains

Question 18

bony protection of the eye

Answer 18

post orbital bar → post orbital closure

Question 19

diurnal primates

Answer 19

have color vision and are active during the day

Question 20

nocturnal primates

Answer 20

have black and white vision and are active at night

Question 21

stereoscopic vision

Answer 21

3D depth perception

Question 22

binocular vision

Answer 22

forward facing eyes with overlapping visual fields

Question 23

olfaction

Answer 23

decreased reliance on the sense of smell

Question 24

maturation

Answer 24

▪ more efficient fetal nourishment
▪ longer gestation (pregnancy)
▪ reduced number of offspring, ↑ degree of care (k-selected vs r-selected)
▪ delayed maturation/longer ontogeny and learning period
▪ longer life span

Question 25

life history

Answer 25

developmental and reproductive events that occur throughout an individual/species’ lifetime ex. lifespan, gestation length, number of offspring, etc.

Question 26

learning

Answer 26

greater dependence on flexible, learned behavior; social groups and permanent association of adult males

Question 27

behaviour

Answer 27

diurnal activity pattern in most species

Question 28

geographic distribution and habitats

Answer 28

▪ Tropical/semi-tropical areas of New World (South/Central America, Mexico), Old World (Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Japan) ▪ primates used to be everywhere bc of higher latitudes in the past then now ▪ most are arboreal in forest/woodland habitats

Question 29

Strepsirhines

Answer 29

share common primitive behaviour and bio characteristics with earliest mammals and primates in the fossil record ex. lemurs (Madagascar) lorises (India, Sri Lanka, SE Asia, Africa)

Question 30

Characteristics of Strepsirhines

Answer 30

``` ▪ usually nocturnal ▪ tapetum lucidum (eye shine) ▪ more olfactory ▪ rhinarium (chemosensory): damp wet nose ▪ usually insectivorous ▪ usually arboreal ▪ quadrupedal ▪ vertical clinging and leaping ▪ often solitary ▪ differences in reproductive apparatus, shorter gestation and maturation ▪ tooth combs ▪ grooming claws ```

Question 31

lorises/galagos

Answer 31

▪ nocturnal ▪ different modes of locomotion ▪ insects, fruits, gums, leaves

Question 32

infant parking

Answer 32

cover infants with toxic saliva to protect them from predators

Question 33

Tarsiers

Answer 33

▪ Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Philippines) ▪ small! ▪ enormous eyes: nocturnal, can rotate head 180° ▪ no rhinarium, no toothcomb, no tapetum lucidum ▪ very long hindlimbs and feet: excellent leapers ▪ only living carnivorous/insectivorous today ▪ small group size

Question 34

Platyrrhines: New World Monkeys

Answer 34

``` ▪ Central and South America, Mexico ▪ ~70 species ▪ 12 oz –20 lbs ▪ arboreal ▪ quadrupedal ▪ some with prehensile tails, some semibrachiators ▪ diurnal (except owl monkey) ▪ omnivorous ▪ most live in social groups including both sexes and all age categories ```

Question 35

Sexual dichromatism

Answer 35

colour difference between males and females of a single species

Question 36

Cercopithecoids: Old World Monkeys

Answer 36

``` ▪ Africa, Asia ▪ Wide range of habitats ▪ Most are arboreal ▪ Ischial callosities ▪ Larger body size ▪ Diurnal ▪ Sexual dimorphism/dichromatism ▪ Variably sized social groups; ▪ Increased complexity ```

Question 37

Ischial callosities

Answer 37

like a pillow that allows them to sit for long periods of time ▪ when female's are red it indicates they are ready to mate

Question 38

Hylobatids: Gibbons and Siamangs

Answer 38

▪ Southeast Asia ▪ highly suspensory - brachiation ▪ omnivorous diet ▪ monogamous pair + offspring

Question 39

Pongines: Orangutans (Pongo)

Answer 39

``` ▪ Borneo and Sumatra ▪ suspensory, quadrumanous climbers, fist walking ▪ frugivorous ▪ extremely sexually dimorphic ▪ solitary ```

Question 40

Gorillas (Gorilla)

Answer 40

``` ▪ Equatorial Africa ▪ largest of the living primates ▪ primarily terrestrial, knucklewalking ▪ More folivorous/frugivorous ▪ Groups consist of one large silverback male, a few adult females, and their offspring ```

Question 41

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Answer 41

* Equatorial and Western Africa * smaller than gorillas, less sexually dimorphic * arboreal; terrestrial: knuckle walk, bipedal * broad diet: geographic and seasonal variability; hunting! * variable group size; complex social behavior * More complex tool use: termite and ant sticks, hammerstones

Question 42

Bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Answer 42

``` ▪ Democratic Republic of Congo ▪ chimp-like ... sort of ▪ arboreal ▪ sex ▪ social groups –male/female bonded pairs ▪ diet similar to chimps ```