Unit 2 Primates Myths about Primates Not all primates are monkeys Primates are not just primitive humans they are social intelligent and some of their behaviors can be very complex A lot of our stereotypes about primates are false o Ex Gorillas are not monsters o Ex Chimpanzees are not cute cuddly pets Primate Geographic Distribution In their natural habitat primates are generally found in warm tropical forested regions Old World Africa Asia South Pacific New World South America southern part of North America Primate Studies Descriptive descriptive people went out into the field and recorded what they saw Observational long term studied for decades o Jane Goodall Studied chimpanzees 1950s 1960s to present day Took 18 months to communicate with chimpanzees First to go out literally and camp out in the woods to study the chimpanzees o Dian Fossey Her work has spawned tons of research and researchers who follow her Studied gorillas Because of her we know that they are gentle and vegetarians She debunked many of the myths about gorillas She got heavily involved in the conservation effort She ended up getting murdered by one of the locals Theoretical 1970s 1980s o Two major perspectives Sociobiology study of the relationship between genetics and behavior emphasizes the role of genes Ex testosterone and aggression Behavioral ecology study of the relationship between the environment and behavior emphasizes the role of the environment Ex diet and social structure Modern day studies of primates research encompasses descriptive observational and theoretical parts Primate Taxonomy Taxonomy the study that specializes in categorizing living beings or organisms Proposed Changes o Suborders Change Old traditional Prosimii lemurs lorises tarsiers Anthropoidea New proposed Strepsirrhini lemurs lorises Haplorrhini tarsiers monkeys apes humans monkeys apes humans This moves the Tarsiers from one group to another o They found that tarsiers had more in common with the anthropoids through molecular data o Reclassification of the Great Apes Old Traditional Pongidae great apes Hominidae humans New Proposed All Hominidae different subfamilies and tribes The Hominids have them all o They are separated into orangutans gorillas and chimpanzees humans o Then the chimpanzees and humans are separated Orangutans are the most different Movie Notes The behavior that rocked the scientific world Usage of tools by chimpanzees Shocked the scientific community chimpanzees hunt and eat meat Tenderness between the mother and her infant The father chimps don t have anything to do with the infants that they produce o The females have the most interaction with the offspring Monkeys however are monogamous species and the males do have interaction with the offspring In general though most primates the males do not have anything to do with the children Some of the chimps ended up getting polio because they are so close to us genetically they can get our diseases and we can get theirs Primate Characteristics Relative to Other Mammals Limbs and Locomotion o Erect Posture sitting up o Hands and Feet Prehensile the ability to grasp humans and primates We have maintained opposable fingers and toes Dogs and cats do not have these Humans do not have an opposable big toe but we are the exception to this primates do have it 5 digits on each hand and foot not all mammals have this Primates have sensory nerves on our finger tips and toe tips in order to Instead of claws primates have nails grip better o Flexible limb structure Primates have many ways of moving around Not limited to humans primates have very flexible shoulders and hips Varieties of Primate Locomotion Quadrupedalism knucklewalking slow climbing o moving on all four limbs o Knucklewalking instead of walking flat footed they fold their fingers and walk on their knuckles on the forelimbs only mainly in the Great Apes o Slow Climbing all four limbs are being used while climbing o Intermembral Index compares the lengths of the forelimbs to the hind limbs If a primate has an II greater than 1 that means the forelimbs are longer than the hindlimbs More in the chimps and primates that live on If a primate has an II less than 1 that means the forelimbs are shorter than the hindlimbs Smaller body more arboreal species ex Ring the ground tailed lemur Humans are an exception to this however the apes monkeys etc have an II which is smaller than 1 Leaping Jumping Brachiation o Primates can jump great distances instead of using their arms to move through the trees they jump from tree to tree o arm swinging o The body is fully supported by the upper limbs o Semibrachiation Certain monkeys have prehensile tails This can be used just like an extra limb for Bipedalism grasping o walking around on two limbs o Humans are the only primates that are habitually bipedal this is the only way we get around o Other primates can be bipedal but are not bipedal all the Senses and Brain time o Diurnal referring to being active during the daytime opposed to nocturnal o Nocturnal active during the night time o Most primates are diurnal while some are nocturnal o Primates have an increased reliance on vision Have color vision Have depth perception This is exemplified in the placement of the eye orbits in the skull Anterior placed eye orbits o Located in the front gorilla versus cow o Primates have a decreased reliance on smell Reduced olfactors in the brain Exemplified by the size of the snout o Primates are encephalized Relative to the size of the body primates have a larger brain o Primates have a complex brain Have a much greater understanding of things as opposed to a dog Maturation Learning and Behavior o K selected vs R selected K selected Species that has a smaller number of offspring The parents invest a lot of time and energy into ensuring the survival of those offspring Typically have a longer pregnancy period Typically have a longer life span Typically are very immature Primates and most mammals are K selected R Selected Typically have many offspring at one time The offspring are born able to care for themselves essentially therefore they require very little parental investment They will have a shorter gestation and a shorter lifespan Ex Insects or fish o Flexible learned behavior Primarily through observation Primates can live in a variety of environments and still be able to survive Although monkeys primarily live in forested regions they can also move into the city India and survive just