Primates

Question 1

How do primates move?

Answer 1

In an erect or semi-erect position. Generalised limb structure allows for a variety of locomotive behaviours.

Question 2

What are primate limbs like?

Answer 2

Prehensile hands a feet with 5 digits. Opposable thumbs and big toes. Fingernail instead of claws.

Question 3

What are primate teeth like?

Answer 3

Molars with high peaks and low valleys and sharp edges. Flat incisors for removing fruit flesh.

Question 4

What are primate senses like?

Answer 4

Binocular vision, two pictures from each eye integrated in brain. Reduction in smell to allow for brain expansion.

Question 5

What are the three main groups of primates?

Answer 5

Prosimians.
Monkeys.
Apes and Humans.

Question 6

Give characteristics of Prosimians.

Answer 6

Lemurs, tarsiers and loris.
More reliance on smell. Mark territory and have lateral eyes.
Dental comb formed by forward-projecting lower incisors and canines used in grooming and feeding.

Question 7

Give characteristics of Monkeys.

Answer 7

70% of all primates.
Two groups:
Platyrrhini (new world monkeys)
Catarrhini (old world monkeys)

Question 8

Give characteristics of Platyrrhini.

Answer 8

Some have lost their tail.
Flat faced nostrils separated with wide septum. Arboreal.
Thick hair.
Thumb doesn’t rotate.
e.g. marmosets, howlers, spiders, squirrels, capuchin.

Question 9

Give characteristics of Catarrhini.

Answer 9

Tails never prehensile.
Close nostrils facing down.
Arboreal except for baboons and mandrills.
Thin hair.
Opposable thumb.
e.g. baboon, macaque, colobus and langur.

Question 10

Give characteristics of Homonoidea.

Answer 10

Larger bodies, no tail, shortened trunk, long arms relative to legs (apart from humans), more complex brain, enhanced cognitive abilities, more complex behaviour, increased dependency period.
e.g. gibbons, orangutans, gorilla, chimp and humans.

Question 11

Give characteristics of gibbons.

Answer 11

Monogamous pairing, dependent offspring.

Males and females territorial and delineate their territories with whoops and songs.

Question 12

Give characteristics of orangutans.

Answer 12

Slow, cautious climbers and arboreal. Large with sexual dimorphism. Semi-solitary, principally frugivorous.

Question 13

Give characteristics of gorillas.

Answer 13

Largest primates.
Sexual dimorphism.
Primarily terrestrial, semi-quadrupedal posture called knuckle-walking.
1 large silverback and a few females.

Question 14

Give characteristics of chimps.

Answer 14

2 species, chimp and bonobo.
Similar to gorillas.
Knuckle walk on ground and brachiation on trees.
Large communities of up to 50.
Bonobos - highly promiscuous.