Graphical summary

Primate Taxonomy 1

Anthropology 2200

Examine primate classification Pygmy Marmosets

• SIZE DIVERSITY IN PRIMATES

Mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) 3.6 inches, 1.1 oz

Adult Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) 440 lb

loris gibbon

aye aye gorilla

chimpanzee

tarsier

capuchin orangutan

spider monkey baboon

ring tailed lemur

Japanese macaque bonobo

howler monkey

mouse lemur

Primates • What is a Primate?

• Kingdom  Animalia • Phylum  Chordata • Class  Mammalia • Order  Primates • Suborders:

• Strepsirhines (Lemur, Loris, Galago) • Infraorder: Lemuriformes

• Haplorhines (Tarsiers, Monkeys, Apes, and Humans)

• Infraorders: • Tarsiiformes • Anthropoidea (Parvorders =

Platyrrhini and Catarrhini) • Slender Loris

Taxonomy

Cladistic Taxonomy: Haplorhini/Strepsirrhini Nomenclature preferred by many

• Places Tarsiers in with Haplorhines • Many believe this system is more evolutionarily accurate!

Tarsiers

Strepsirhines vs. Haplorhines

• Strepsirhines: lemurs, lorises, galagos

• Haplorhines: everything else (tarsiers, New World Monkeys, Old World Monkeys, Apes, humans)

• They split around 55-80 million years ago

Slender Loris Galago/Bush Baby Ring Tailed Lemur

Strepsirhines

Ring-tailed lemur

Strepsirhines

• Found in Africa and Asia (13% of Primates)

• Retain many primitive characteristics

• This does not mean that they are the ancestors of monkeys!!!

High rates of nocturnality • Primitive Trait

• Tapetum lucidum • Layer behind the

retina • Reflects visible light

back through the retina

• Improves vision in low light conditions

Sportive Lemur Retina

Post Orbital Bar: No Closure

Primitive Trait

Partially stereoscopic vision (primitive)

Lack color vision (primitive)

Reliance on Olfaction • Communication for nocturnal animals

• Ancestral trait • Scent glands

• Marking • Messages

• Large olfactory bulb • Part of brain for scent

• Rhinarium  moist nose • readily picks up

scents

Mouse Lemur

Ring Tail Lemur

Grooming claw • Primitive Trait

• Lemurs, Galagos, Lorises: 2nd Toe (Aye-Aye = 2-5)

• Purpose: • Grooming • Extracting insects

Ruffled Lemur

Galago

Tooth comb

• Derived Trait • Used for:

• Grooming • Extracting resin

from trees Ring Tailed Lemur

Lemuroidea : Lemurs

• Only found on the island of Madagascar

• Only non-human primate found there

• Lots of diversity • 20 mya split from Africa • Adaptive radiation • Represent 21% of primate

genera worldwide

Lemuroidea : Lemurs

• Ring-tailed lemur • More terrestrial • Black and white ringed tail • Omnivorous • Diurnal • Forest and spiny scrub • Highly social • Female dominant

• Common in Lemurs • Sent marking • Stink Fighting

Lemuroidea : Lemurs

• Mouse lemur • Smallest primate • < 1 lb. • Eat insects, small vertebrates,

gum, fruit, flowers, nectar, leaves

• Nocturnal

Grey mouse lemur

Additional Traits

Tend to have more specialized diets and behaviors than anthropoids (derived)

• Often fill very specific niches • Lemurs on Madagascar

Vertical clinging and leaping Often solitary

Sifaka Clinging

Sifaka

Lemuroidea : Aye-aye

Aye-aye • Nocturnal • Mainly insectivorous • Thin middle finger to forage for

grubs  Taps to find grubs  Gnaws bark  Uses finger to pull out grubs

• Solitary

Aye-aye

Lorisoidea: Lorises

• Lorises • Tropical Africa and

Southeast Asia • Nocturnal • Slow-moving,

deliberate stalkers of small prey

Lorisoidea: Lorises

• Slow loris • Toxic bite

• Lick gland on their arm • Secretion activates with

saliva (adult/baby) • Communicate by sent

marking • Eat small animals, fruit, gum,

vegetation • Hunted for exotic pet trade

The Bite of a Slow Loris How poisonous is the slow

loris? • Allergen similar to Felid 1  Cat allergen in dander  Anaphylactic shock  Red blood cells in urine

Depends how allergic you are!

Lorisoidea: Galagos

• “Bush-babies” – Subfamily of Lorises

• Sub-Saharan Africa • Nocturnal • Vertical clingers and leapers • Insectivorous

Lorisoidea: Galagos Can turn its head over 180

degrees Index finger more widely

spaced • Feeding • Gripping branches

Nocturnal • Large Eyes • Large Ears

Haplorhini

Tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans

• Larger body • Larger brain-to-body size ratio • More sexually dimorphic • Less specialized dentition (fewer premolars) • Greater reliance on vision than on smell • Post-orbital closure • Diurnal rather than nocturnal

Differ from Strepsirhines in a variety of ways

Tarsiers vs. all other Haplorhines

• Tarsiers are taxonomically problematic

• Prosimian/anthropoid

• Strepsirhine/haplorhine • They possess a mixture of

primitive and derived traits • Divergence time of ca. 50-

70 Million years ago?

Infraorder: Tarsiiformes (Tarsiers) • Tarsiers

• Southeast Asia • Nocturnal

• eye larger than brain • Vertical clingers and

leapers • Grooming claw: 2nd and 3rd

Toes • Highly carnivorous

• Lizards, frogs, insects

Tarsiiformes: Tarsiers

Name refers to two elongated tarsals – extra leverage for leaping

Tarsiers