The o rder Primates includes humans, apes, monkeys , and prosimians. Many of them may be familiar, but it would not be surprising if you cannot immediately visualize prosimians like the ring-tailed lemurs in the picture on the right. How many living primate species exist today is not clear. The number varies depending on whether closely related groups are considered to be varieties of each other or distinct species.
Some taxonomic splitters classify up to species , while lumpers include as few as Most estimates are in the range of This ambiguity may be partly resolved in the future with DNA sequencing data. Compounding the problem is the fact that e very few years new species of primates are found. The tropical forests of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia may still be hiding ones that are unknown to the scientific world.
However, it is likely that all major groupings of primates have been discovered. M any primate species are now in danger of becoming extinct.
The primary cause is deforestation, driven ultimately by human population growth. Additional pressure is placed on primate populations by humans hunting them to sell for food and pets. Monkeys and apes are popular sources of "bush meat" in West Africa.
At least 22 species of primates and many other kinds of wild animals are being hunted in Africa for this purpose. Despite the fact that the sale of "bush meat" is outlawed in most countries, it is now being sold illegally in Europe and North America. In recent years, it could be bought at stores that cater to African immigrants in Paris, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Montreal, and some other major cities. Today, non-human primates are limited in their natural habitats primarily to the tropical and subtropical regions of the New and Old Worlds.
They have never lived in Australia and most of the islands in the Pacific ocean. However, the earliest primates also lived in North America and Europe beginning around million years ago. General Characteristics of Primates.
Primates are surprisingly variable in size. They range all the way from the pygmy mouse lemur that weighs less than 2 ounces 55 g. Still larger primates existed in the past but are now extinct. Primates are generally lively, clever, and very successful at adapting to different environmental opportunities.
Physically, however, they are relatively unspecialized compared to animals such as birds, horses, and cats. Primates are not particularly fast runners, they do not have the sharpest hearing, they cannot fly, nor are they efficient hunters. Count the number of fingers This is the only primate that has hands with 4 fingers and feet with 5 toes With the exception of spider monkeys, all of the primates have retained the ancient mammalian trait of pentadactylism , which is having five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot.
An increasing refinement of the hands and feet for grasping objects has been a hallmark of primate evolution. Their fingers and toes are mobile and have very sensitive tactile pads at the tips, unlike most other mammals. At least some digits on all primates also have flat nails in place of rigid claws.
This makes the manipulation of bits of food and other objects much easier. The grasping, or prehensile , ability of primate hands varies significantly also with the degree of opposability of the thumb. Partially rotating the thumb and pressing it forcefully towards the fingers provides a secure grip for hanging on branches and for manipulating small objects.
All primates, with the exception of humans, have prehensile feet in addition to hands. However, few have the high degree of thumb opposability and strength typical of humans.
Opening times Opening times. Apenheul is only open for group visits until April Our tips Our tips Buy your season tickets in our webshop and get discount! Apenheul Apenheul More than half of the primates roam freely among the visitors! Primate test Are you as tough as a gorilla? Which primate do you look like? From baby to adult Also relatable is the behaviour shown by primates and their families. Fun facts Out of all primates, bonobos are most like humans. Did you know that there are primates that — just like people — can sing?
Come and listen to the gibbons. Both male and female children usually leave their mother when they reach sexual maturity. Single female and her offspring type of family group orangutan mother with child carried on her back Monogamous Family Group.
Monogamous groups consist of an adult male and female with their children. When they are grown, the children leave to create their own nuclear families. While this group pattern is the most common one for humans, it is rare for non-human primates. It is found among the small Asian apes as well as some of the New World monkeys and prosimians. Specifically, monogamous family groups are the common pattern for gibbons, siamangs, titi monkeys, indris, tarsiers, and apparently some pottos.
Polyandrous Family Group. The smallest New World monkeys, the marmosets and tamarins, form both monogamous and polyandrous family units. They generally start with a monogamous mating pair. Later, a second adult male may join the family and assist in child rearing.
When this occurs, both adult males will potentially mate with the adult female. This arrangement is practical because these monkeys commonly have twins and the fathers carry the babies around on their backs most of the time. This polyandrous mating pattern is extremely rare among non-human primates but does occur in some human societies in isolated rural regions of India, Sri Lanka, and especially Nepal, and Tibet. P olyandrous type of family group three pygmy marmoset adults sharing child rearing chores One-Male-Several-Female Group.
One-male-several-female groups have polygynous mating patterns. That is to say, one male regularly mates and lives with more than one female at a time. Polygyny is generally not a promiscuous mating pattern. Rather, the male and his female mates form a distinct mating and child rearing group.
This pattern is found among hamadryas baboons, geladas, langurs, howler monkeys, gorillas and many human societies. It has been a culturally preferred marriage pattern in numerous Native American, African, and South Asian cultures.
However, polygyny is not as common among humans as monogamy, even in cultures that advocate it. It would be a mistake to automatically assume that non-human primate one-male-several-female groups are dominated by males. Among geladas, females largely control the social group. This is despite the fact that the males are larger, stronger, and more aggressive. Mothers, sisters, and aunts act as a team in chasing off other unrelated females. They also collectively select their mutual mate among a number of potential suitors roaming in and out of their territory.
The male that is chosen usually is one that does not act abusively towards them and is willing to cooperate with them in defending their territory. The relationship with any particular male may be short-term. The stable core of the community is the group of related females. This is a long way from stereotypical male domination.
One-male-several female groups may take a different form when predator pressure is a problem. In open grasslands, hamadryas baboon communities are much larger, usually consisting of a number of polygynous families. In such multiple one-male-several-female group societies, males are the dominant, controlling members.
The adult males not only "herd" their own sexually mature females, but also maintain order and protect the community from predators. This is not unlike the traditional Arab polygynous marriage pattern in which wealthy men acquire harems.
In contrast, gorillas rarely have to be concerned about predator dangers. Subsequently, their communities usually consist of a single dominant adult male, his mates, and their children. When males reach maturity, they usually are driven off by the dominant silverback male.
These exiled males ultimately form their own one-male-several-female groups. As females reach sexual maturity, they also leave their natal families and disperse. They later join with single males to form new families or they join the families of males who already have mates.
When the silver back males have unusually peaceful personalities, the gorilla community may have several of them. NOTE: The term "silver back" refers to older mature gorilla males who normally develop large silvery-gray saddles of hair on their backs. As they age, the saddles become larger and eventually cover most of their backs. Multimale-Multifemale Group. The most common social group pattern among semi-terrestrial primates is the multimale-multifemale group.
With this pattern, there are no stable heterosexual bonds--both males and females have a number of different mates. They usually catch insects on the wing, but in winter, there aren't enough insects around. They smear sticky drops of urine onto their hands and feet to leave a scent trail and to give them extra grip Skip to main content Skip to footer site map.
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