Primate Basics
This group includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes.
Primates
Primates have five digits on hands and feet and often opposable thumbs.
What are generalized limbs?
Most primates have this dental formula.
What is 2.1.2.3?
Forward-facing eyes allow this type of vision.
What is binocular vision?
Primates usually have fewer offspring but invest more in each.
1 infant per birth (low reproductive rate).
Primates are considered “quite generalized” compared to many other mammals. What does this mean?
Retain all major tooth types, flexible limbs, five digits with nails, adaptable for various diets and habitats
This type of locomotion is used by gibbons, swinging hand-over-hand through trees.
What is brachiation?
Sharp, pointed teeth for piercing insect exoskeletons are found in these primates.
What are insectivores (e.g., tarsiers)?
Most primates rely less on this sense than many mammals.
Smell
Long periods of dependency allow this important ability to develop.
Learning and behavioral flexibility
Name one small primate and one large primate that illustrate primate diversity.
Mouse lemur and gorilla
Name two functions of prehensile hands.
Grasping branches, manipulating objects
Long, crested molars for grinding leaves are found in these primates
What are folivores (e.g., colobus monkeys, gorillas)?
Expanded areas of the brain in primates support these abilities.
Learning, memory, problem-solving, social cognition
Name one primate with especially long juvenile period and delayed sexual maturity.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, humans
Primates are mostly this in their daily activity pattern.
What is diurnal?
Nails instead of claws provide this advantage.
Better tactile sensation for gripping and manipulating objects
This primate has a long middle finger to extract insect larvae.
What is the aye-aye?
Color vision helps primates detect these three things.
Ripe fruit, young leaves, social signals
Living in groups provides these three benefits.
Protection, cooperative foraging, learning opportunities
Forward-facing eyes and binocular vision give primates this ability.
What is depth perception or stereoscopic vision?
This locomotor strategy involves walking on the knuckles, used by some large apes.
What is knuckle-walking?
Forward-projecting lower incisors forming a “comb” are found in these primates
What are tooth-comb lemurs and lorises?
Depth perception and hand-eye coordination are especially important for this lifestyle.
All of the primate lifestyles
Primates invest heavily in few offspring, taking years to mature and often living decades. What is this strategy called?
slow life history