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Things I Should Know > Primatology > Flashcards

Primatology Flashcards

1
Q

The order of ‘Primates’ can be broken down into what two suborders?

A
  • Strepsirrhines
  • Haplorhines

‘Strepsirrhine’ refers to the rhinarium-containing noses of lemurs and lorises. These are comma-shaped, ‘wet’ noses.
‘Haplorhine’ refers to the ‘simple,’ ‘dry’ noses that do not contain a rhinarium; i.e., those seen in monkeys, apes, and tarsiers.

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2
Q

What are the two main families within the Strepsirrhine suborder?

A
  • Lemurs
  • Lorises
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3
Q

What are the three main families within the Haplorhine suborder?

A
  • Monkeys*
  • Apes
  • Tarsiers

*Both old- and new-world.

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4
Q

Describe lemurs in terms of global location(s), unique features, sleep-wake patterns, and sociality.

A
  • Madagascar
  • Comb teeth
  • Diurnal or nocturnal
  • Solitary or in groups
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5
Q

Describe slow lorises in terms of global location(s), unique features, sleep-wake patterns, and sociality.

A
  • Asia and Africa
  • Small, slow stalkers of insects
  • Nocturnal
  • Mostly solitary
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6
Q

Primates from which family are some of the only venomous mammals?

A

Slow lorises

When threatened, a loris can lick an oil gland from which the oil combines with their saliva to produce a venom before they bite.

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7
Q

In general, what are some of the shared characteristics between lemurs and lorises?

Hint: think in terms of vision, unique physical features, etc.

A
  • Low acuity, dichromatic night vision
  • Grooming claw
  • Connected nose/mouth*

*A rhinarium.
These creatures use smell and night vision as emphasized skills rather than acute vision.

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8
Q

What are some of the features of tarsiers?

Think in terms of global location, physical features, diets, skillset, and communication.

A
  • SE Asia
  • Huge eyes with small bodies and long tarsal bones
  • Entirely carnivorous
  • Leapers
  • Ultrasound communication
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9
Q

How many chromosomes do tarsiers have?

A

80!

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10
Q

What are some of the features unique among primates to anthropoids*?

*Monkeys and apes.
Think in terms of organ size, eye sockets, and vision.

A
  • Closed orbits
  • Bigger brains
  • Trichromatic vision
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11
Q

Sexual dimorphism in primates tends to correlate with what feature of their sociality?

A

Their relative monogamy

Increased competition between males tends to lead to an increase in the size of the males by body weight and canine size.

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12
Q

Why are chimpanzee testicles larger than human testicles which are larger than gorilla testicles?

A
  • Chimpanzees must produce more sperm to “flush out” the competition, even if he is dominant in the group
  • Humans tend to be more monogamous, with less need for outproducing others’ sperm
  • After becoming the dominant male, a gorilla does not need to further compete with other males’ sperm
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13
Q

In addition to possible use for balance, what role do lemurs’ fluffy large tails play in their sociality?

A

Lemurs rub stinky oil from wrist sweat glands onto the tail and then flick/aerosolize the oil into the air to attract a mate

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14
Q

What feature of a group of primates’ sociality is associated with a larger difference in body weight between males and females?

A

Their relative monogamy

  • E.g., strepsirrhines (lemurs and lorises) and gibbons are mostly monogamous and tend to have little-to-no difference between males and females in terms of body weight.
  • Gorillas live in polygynous groups and thus have large males competing for groups of females with a BW ratio of ~2.4 for males to females.
  • Chimpanzees and bonobos are promiscuous with a BW ratio of ~1.3 males to females.
  • Humans are fairly monogamous with a BW ratio of ~1.15 of males to females.
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15
Q

Why are new-world monkeys called ‘platyrrhines’?

A

They are ‘flat-nosed’

With nostrils facing sidewise, as opposed to cattarrhines, who have hooked noses with downward-facing nostrils.

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16
Q

How can new-world monkeys be described in terms of their preferred habitat and sociality?

A
  • Arboreal
  • Social
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17
Q

Why are old-world monkeys called ‘catirrhines’?

A

They are ‘hook-nosed’

With nostrils facing downwards, as opposed to platyrrhines, who have flat noses with sidewase-facing nostrils.

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18
Q

Which new-world monkey is known for its tool use?

A

Capuchins

Mostly in the form of rock usage in opening up food sources.

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19
Q

Decide separately if each of the following are examples of old-world or new-world monkeys:

Snub-nose monkeys -
Marmosets -
Tamarins -
Owl monkeys -

A

Snub-nose monkeys - old
Marmosets - new
Tamarins - new
Owl monkeys - new

If it’s large, ground-dwelling, quadripedal, or mentions the nose in the name, then it’s probably an old-world monkey.

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20
Q

Decide separately if each of the following are examples of old-world or new-world monkeys:

Baboons -
Uakaris -
Capuchins -
Guenons -
Vervet monkeys -

A

Baboons - old
Uakaris - new
Capuchins - new
Guenons - old
Vervet monkeys - old

If it’s large, ground-dwelling, quadripedal, or mentions the nose in the name, then it’s probably an old-world monkey.

21
Q

Decide separately if each of the following are examples of old-world or new-world monkeys:

Mandrills -
Spider monkeys -
Howler monkeys -
Macaques -
Proboscis monkeys -

A

Mandrills - old
Spider monkeys - new
Howler monkeys - new
Macaques - old
Proboscis monkeys -old

If it’s large, ground-dwelling, quadripedal, or mentions the nose in the name, then it’s probably an old-world monkey.

22
Q

Decide separately if each of the following are examples of old-world or new-world monkeys:

Wooly monkeys -
Squirrel monkeys -
Titis -
Colobus monkeys -
Sakis -

A

Wooly monkeys - new
Squirrel monkeys - new
Titis - new
Colobus monkeys - old
Sakis - new

If it’s large, ground-dwelling, quadripedal, or mentions the nose in the name, then it’s probably an old-world monkey.

23
Q
  • Which are more arboreal, new-world or old-world monkeys?
  • Which are often larger?
  • Which are typically quadrupedal?
A
  • New
  • Old
  • Old
24
Q

Which group of monkeys has prehensile tails, old-world or new-world?

A

New

25
Q

True/False.

Most old-world monkeys are omnivores, but there is at least one species that is gramniverous.

A

True.

Gelada baboons (‘bleeding heart baboons) survive entirely on grass and have specialized fat pads to allow for sitting all day eating grass. Their sexual dimorphism is in the form of coloring, not on their genitals or rear ends, but on their sides for visibility while they sit.

26
Q

What is generally meant by the term ‘ape’?

A

A tailless catarrhine that is larger than most primates and typically ground-dwelling.

Catarrhines including old-world monkeys and apes.

27
Q

What species make up the major groups of the so-called ‘great apes’?

A
  • Orangutans
  • Gorillas
  • Chimpanzees
  • Bonobos
  • Humans*

*Extinct human species (e.g., Homo neanderthalis, Homo floresiensis, Homo habilis, etc.) are also examples of great apes.

28
Q

Which genus is sometimes called the ‘lesser apes’?

A

Gibbons

They move via brachiation (moving through the trees like ‘monkey bars’).
Note: siamangs are the largest of the gibbons species.

29
Q

True/False.

Old-world monkeys tend to be less social than new-world monkeys but more sexually dimorphic.

A

False.

Old-world monkeys tend to be more social than new-world monkeys and more sexually dimorphic.

30
Q

Which old-world monkey genus is composed of species with vastly differing facial/head coloring, face shape, and cheek pouches?

A

Guenons

Likely for interspecies identification/differentiation.

31
Q

Name an old-world monkey genus that engages in hunting.
And a non-human ape that engages in cooperative hunting?

A
  • Baboons
  • Chimpanzees
32
Q

True/False.

Hominoids include the great apes (humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos) and lesser apes (gibbons).

A

True.

33
Q

True/False.

Orangutans are typically solitary, are from Borneo and Sumatra, and use all four of their limbs as hands while they move.

A

True.

34
Q

Most great apes originate in environments in what part of the world?

A

West Africa

Orangutans are the exception as they originate in Borneo and Sumatra.

35
Q

Which tend to have darker faces, chimpanzees or bonobos?

A

Bonobos

36
Q

True/False.

Primates typically live in temperate biomes.

A

False.

Primates typically live in tropical biomes.
Especially, in the rainforest, whether in the canopy, midlevel, or understory.

37
Q

True/False.

Humans use ??% less energy with bipedal ambulation than chimpanzees do with quadrupedal ambulation.

A

75

It may be that human bipedalism was largely driven as an energy-saving mechanism, especially given the high energy costs of human cerebral activity.

38
Q

Which primates are more likely to need high-quality food that is calorie-rich, those with smaller bodies or larger bodies?

A

Smaller bodies

Less digestive tract to break down large amounts of low-calorie foods.
Thus, small monkeys (≤500g, Kay’s threshold) are likely to have diets heavier in insects and lizards, while large apes and monkeys are more likely to add bulky leaves and stems to their diets.

39
Q

Why might larger primates spend more time relaxing that smaller primates?

A

Their long digestive tracts can tolerate larger quantities of low-calorie food, so they sit still while digesting any leaves/grass/etc. that they’ve added to their diets.

The smaller primates shuffle around finding higher-quality (but smaller, scarcer) food sources like nuts, insects, etc.

40
Q

True/False.

Primate diets are typically a mix of sources, but vary widely from herbivorous to sap-sucking to gramniverous to carnivorous to omnivorous to folivorous to insectivorous.

A

True.

E.g., gelada baboons are fully gramniverous; tarsiers are fully carniverous; smaller primates eat mostly insects; leaf monkeys eat mostly leaves; and most primates are some mix of the diets.

41
Q

What three terms refer to the main sleep-wake cycles of mammals?

  1. Mostly awake during day
  2. Mostly awake during night
  3. Typically awake at dawn and dusk
A
  1. Diurnal
  2. Nocturnal
  3. Crepuscular

Note: a less well-known group is the ‘cathemeral’ type, which do not follow as regular a sleep-wake pattern. Lions, certain lemurs, kangaroos, and coyotes are examples.

42
Q

Which primates are more likely to have dichromatic vision, nocturnal or diurnal primates?
And trichromatic vision?

A
  • Nocturnal
  • Diurnal
43
Q

True/False.

Primate daily foraging travels can make up a primate’s “day range,” and these overlapping ranges (if defended by the group) can make up “territories.”

A

True.

44
Q

What type of old-world monkey is known to have different vocalizations indicating different predator types?
What new-world monkey also does this?

A
  • Vervet monkeys
  • Tamarins

  • Vervet monkeys are able to indicate that they have visualized snakes (and everyone should flee into the trees) vs. leopards (and everyone should be vigilant) vs. birds (and everyone should move downwards in the trees).
  • Tamarins do something similar but for either ground-based or aerial threats only.
45
Q

What are some reasons that sociality is beneficial to primates?

A
  • Shared foraging
  • Shared childrearing
  • Increased protection from predators
  • More access to mates

Although, drawbacks can include infanticide, competition for food/mates, increased risk of infection, etc.

46
Q

True/False.

Primates that travel in large social groups are often terrestial and diurnal and arise in predator-dense locations.

A

True.

The predator-dense nature is likely a driving factor towards increasing group formation/cohesion.

47
Q

Primates that travel in small social groups are often terrestial and diurnal and arise in predator-dense locations.

A

False.

Primates that travel in small social groups are often arboreal and nocturnal and arise in non-predator-dense locations.

48
Q

What is the classic example of non-human primates that are territorial and wage ‘wars’ over other intraspecies groups’ territories for access to resources?

A

Chimpanzees

Often requiring patrolling and maintenance of boundaries between the group’s resources and other chimpanzee groups’ boundaries. Skirmishes and annexing of boundaries may occur.

49
Q

True/False.

Tamarins and marmosets are polygynous, with reproduction suppressed in most of the females except one, who gives birth to sets of twins.

A

True.

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