Comparative Primate

Lemurs:

Lemurs arrived in Madagascar around 62 to 65 mya. Today, there are nearly 100 species of lemurs. Lemurs vary greatly in size, they include the smallest primates in the world. The range in size is from 1.1oz to even up to 350-360lbs. They are considered to have characteristics that are more primitive then those of monkeys and apes. They tend to have thinner enamel than anthropoids. The strephsirhines have reduced upper incisors and tooth combs. Prosimians diets consist of a variety of foodstuffs including: insects, seeds, fruits, shoots, leaves, bird’s eggs, and young animals.

Spider Monkey:

Spider Monkey’s are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from Southern Mexico to Brazil. Their disproportionately long limbs and long prehensile tails make them one of the largest New World monkeys and gives rise to their common name. They live in the upper layers of the rainforest, and forage in the high canopy, from 82 to 98 ft. They primarily eat fruits, but will also occasionally consume leaves, flowers, and insects. Due to their large size, spider monkeys require large tracts of moist evergreen forests, and prefer undisturbed primary rainforest. They are social animals and live in bands of up to 35 individuals but will split up to forage during the day. The spider monkeys are the most intelligent New World Monkeys. They are an important food source due to their large size, so are widely hunted by local human populations. Spider monkeys are susceptible to malaria and are used in laboratory studies of the disease.

Baboon:

Baboons are African and Arabian Old world monkeys. They range in size and weight depending on species. All baboons have long dog like muzzles; heavy, powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth; close set eyes; thick fur except on their muzzle. They have short tail and rough spots on their protruding buttocks, called ischial callosities. In all baboon species there is pronounced sexual dimorphism, usually in size but also sometimes in color or canine development. Males of the Hamadryas Baboon species also have a large white mane. Most baboons live in hierarchical troops. Group sizes between 5 and 250 animals. Hamadryas baboon often appear in very large groups composed of many smaller harems, to which females from elsewhere in the troop are recruited while they’re still too young to breed. Baboons can determine from vocal exchanges what the dominance relations are between individuals.

Gibbon:

Gibbons occur in tropical and subtropical rainforests from northeast India to Indonesia and north of southern china, including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java. Gibbons differ from great apes in being smaller, exhibiting low sexual dimorphism, in not making nests, and in certain anatomical details in which they superficially more closely resemble monkeys than great apes do. Gibbons also display pair bonding, unlike most of the great apes. Gibbons are masters of their primary mode of locomotion, brachiating, swinging from branch to branch for distances of up to 15m at speeds as high as 56 km/h. Depending on species and gender, gibbons’ fur coloration varies from dark to light brown shades, and anywhere between black and white. It is rare to see a completely white gibbon. Gibbons also have long hands and feet, with a deep cleft between the first and second digits of their hands. Their fur is usually gray, black, or brownish, often with white markings. On hands, feet, and face. The male gibbon will sometimes end up with some dark patches in the white to show it is suitable choice for mating.

Chimpanzee:

Africans have had contact with chimpanzees for millennia. The two chimpanzee species are the closest living relatives to humans, all being members of the Hominini tribe. The male common chimp is up to 5.6 ft high when standing, and weighs as much as 150lbs. the female is somewhat smaller. The common chimp’s long arms, when extended have a span of one and a half time as long as the body’s height and a chimpanzee’s arms are no longer than its legs. On the ground, chimpanzees usually walk on all fours using their knuckles for support with their hands clenched, a form of locomotion called knuckle walking. Chimpanzees live in large multiple male and multiple female social groups called communities. Within a community, a definite social hierarchy is dictated by the position of an individual and the influence the individual has on others. Typically a dominant male is referred to as the alpha male. The alpha male is the highest-ranking male, which controls the group and maintains order during any disputes.