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Primates

Megachiro

ptera

Microchir

optera

Derm

optera

All o

ther eutheria

n

orders

“Flying primate” hypothesis

Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

Order Primates 13-15 families, >377 extant species

Primate Distribution and Biogeography Primarily tropical forests...

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Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye

Madagascar (lemurs)

Lemurs: >59 species, all endemic to Madagascar

Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye

Madagascar (lemurs)

Lemurs: >59 species, all endemic to Madagascar

Lemurs of Madagascar: single colonization followed by “adaptive radiation”

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Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

Africa, S. & SE Asia

Lorises & pottos: 4 genera, 9 species

Slender loris

Potto

Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

Africa

Galagos & bushbabies: 4 genera, 19 species

Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

Borneo, Philippines, Sumatra

Tarsiers: One genus, 7 species

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Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

S., C. America

NW primates: 16 genera, 128 species

Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

Africa, S. & SE Asia

Old World monkeys: 18 genera, 133 species e.g., baboons, langurs, proboscis monkeys, colubus monkeys, etc.

Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

SE Asia

Gibbons: 1 genus, 11 species

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Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos Tarsiidae – tarsiers Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

SE Asia, Africa, ALL OVER!

Hominids: 4 genera, 5 species

Defining Traits of Primates

1.  petrosal bulla 2.  grasping hands & feet 3.  nails instead of claws 4.  post-orbital bar 5.  large brains 6.  orbital convergence

Defining Traits of Primates

1. bulla made up of the petrosal bone

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Defining Traits of Primates 2. grasping hands & feet:

opposable pollux & hallux

Adaptation to arboreality--- ancestral condition for primates!

Defining Traits of Primates 2. grasping hands & feet:

opposable pollux & hallux

Adaptation to arboreality--- ancestral condition for primates!

General trend: hands gradually replace mouth for food gathering, handling

Defining Traits of Primates

3. nails instead of claws

Claw-usually long, curved, and pointed

Nail-usually flat, translucent, not pointed. Modified claw!

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Defining Traits of Primates

4. post-orbital bar, plate, or enclosure

bar

plate

no bar

•  primates have larger brains than other mammals –  increased complexity of brain

Defining Traits of Primates

5. Large brains

eye sockets = orbits

orbital convergence: frontward rotation of

orbits

allows: binocular vision (overlapping fields of

vision) stereoscopic vision (depth perception)

Defining Traits (cont.) 6. Orbital convergence

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General Primate Patterns

increased vision decreased olfaction

reproduction & life history

Vision

increased importance of vision: •  orbital convergence (more forward-facing eyes) --> binocular vision (overlapping visual fields) --> stereoscopic vision (depth perception) •  post-orbital bar, plate, or enclosure (protects eyes from surrounding musculature) •  larger & more developed visual cortex

Olfaction decreased importance of olfaction (smell): –  less prognathism –  no rhinarium in haplorhines –  smaller olfactory bulb relative to total brain size

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Prognathism prognathic orthognathic

Olfaction

Reproduction & Life History

•  longer life history stages –  growth & maturation

–  gestation period (pregnancy) –  interbirth interval

–  lifespan

•  smaller litters (usually single births) –  only 2 mammary glands

•  more post-partum parental investment

Gorilla = 170 kg

Microcebus = 60 g

Body Size: Living Primates

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Body Size: Fossil Primates

Gorilla

Gigantopithecus = 300 kg

Microcebus Smallest fossil primate

= 10 g

Sexual Dimorphism

•  differences in size or shape between males & females

•  body size

•  canine size

Primate Phylogeny

Time

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Suborders of Living Primates

lemurs lorises galagos

tarsiers

monkeys apes

humans

Prosimii (prosimians)

Anthropoidea (anthropoids)

Strepsirhini (strepsirhines)

Haplorhini (haplorhines)

traditional phylogenetic

Suborder Strepsirhini Cheirogaleidae – dwarf lemurs Lemuridae – lemurs Megaladapidae – sportive lemurs Indriidae – woolly lemur and sifaka Daubentoniidae – aye-aye Loridae– lorises, potto Galagonidae – galagos

Suborder Haplorhini Infraorder Tarsii Tarsiidae – tarsiers Infraorder Platyrrhini Cebidae – New World monkeys Callitrichidae – marmosets and tamarins Infraorder Catarrhini Cercopithecidae – Old World monkeys Hylobatidae – gibbons Hominidae – orang, gorilla, chimp, man

Madagascar (lemurs)

Africa, S. & SE Asia Africa

S., Central America

Borneo, Philippines, Sumatra

Africa, S. & SE Asia SE Asia

SE Asia, Africa, ALL OVER!

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Streps vs. haps:

STREPSIRHINES •  rhinarium •  split upper lip •  tapetum lucidum •  toothcombs •  post-orbital bar

•  ‘toilet’ or grooming claw

HAPLORHINES •  no rhinarium •  continuous upper lip •  no tapetum lucidum •  no toothcombs •  post-orbital plate or

closure •  no ‘toilet’ claw

Haplorhini

Strepsirhini

philtrum

tapetum lucidum: layer of reflective cells behind retina. Redirects light back into eye for enhanced nocturnal vision.

(Secondarily aquired in NW owl & night monkeys!!!!)

Strepsirhini

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Strepsirhine toothcomb- lower incisors & canine

bar

plate

no bar

Strepsirhini-postorbital bar Haplorhini-postorbital plate or enclosure

Strepsirhini Haplorhini

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Strepsirhini- ‘toilet’ or grooming claw

• must balance and move on unstable, uneven, small, & discontinuous substrates • mobile joints because often flexed and abducted

and hand

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QUADRUPEDALISM (cont’d)

terrestrial quadrupedalism

Locomotor Types

knucklewalking

• balance not an issue on ground so restrict mobility to increase efficiency • still use trees so not as specialized as cursors (e.g., horses) • less mobile joints because more extended and adducted

vertical clinging & leaping

Locomotor Types

LEAPING

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• restrict mobility to increase efficiency and decrease injury

suspensory locomotion

Locomotor Types

brachiation

mobility in joints for hanging and climbing

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large arboreal primates must hang from small supports

•  smaller arboreal primates use more leaping •  large arboreal primates use more suspensory locomotion •  gaps are larger for smaller primates so must leap across, whereas larger primates can bridge across •  ”splat effect”- more damage occurs to larger primates if they fall

• must be more careful (i.e., less leaping & more bridging) •  more supports will sustain the leap of a small primate

bipedalism Locomotor Types

• S-shaped vertebral column •  pelvis shorter, broader, & bowl-shaped

•  non-opposable big toe •  two arches in feet

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Diet & Dentition

folivore (leaves) frugivore (fruit) insectivore (insects) gumnivore (gum & sap) gramnivore (seeds & nuts)

tooth proportions: frugivores: large incisors folivores: small incisors

tooth morphology: insectivores: pointy cusps for

puncturing

folivores: molars with well developed shearing crests for slicing

frugivores: molars with low rounded cusps for crushing & grinding

gumnivores: large incisors to gouge holes in trees

Folivores: large guts (stomach, caecum, or large intestine) for breaking down cellulose and housing bacteria for detoxification (fermentation)

Gumnivores: long caecum to break down structural carbohydrates

Dietary Adaptations