Order Primates. Biological features of primates Who is included in the order of primates

Section slaty-nosed primates (Platyrrhina) The section slaty-nosed primates in Scheme 3 includes one superfamily Ceboidea with three families of American monkeys and 16 genera. This is almost one third of the genera of the entire order of primates. Monkeys of small and medium sizes (the size of a dog, for example

Section Narrow-nosed primates (Catarrhina) We continue the description of the higher primates. This section includes not only lower apes, as in the previous one, but along with one superfamily of lower apes (Cercopitliecoidea) - also a superfamily of hominoids, or higher apes and humans

Primates There are 194 species of primates in the order of primates: man, 70 species of monkeys in the tropical forests of the New World, 70 in the Old World, and 53 species of semi-monkeys here. Primates descended from insectivores, retaining some of their features. With each new study, science is convinced that

4. Primates Row 10 gives the EQ of the first primates (0.75) that appeared approximately 60 million years ago following the extinction of the dinosaurs. The EQ of the first primates was about the same as that of the then living average mammals and birds. On lines 11 to 15

Order Insectivores This order includes hedgehogs, moles, shrews. These are small animals with a small brain, the hemispheres of which do not have furrows and convolutions. The teeth are poorly differentiated. Most insectivores have an elongated muzzle with a small proboscis.

Order Lagomorphs These are small and medium-sized mammals. They have two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw, located one after the other so that behind the large front ones there is a second pair of small and short ones. There is only one pair of incisors in the lower jaw. There are no fangs, and incisors

Order Primates This order includes the most diverse mammals in appearance and lifestyle. However, they have a number of common features: a relatively large skull, eye sockets are almost always directed forward, the thumb is opposed

Sexual Dimorphism and the Leading Type of Sexual Relationships: Modern Primates and Fossil Hominins Still, there are certain connections between the type of sexual relations in monkeys and a number of morphophysiological parameters of male and female individuals. In particular,

Sperm Wars: Primates and Humans We have already said above that competition between males can take place not only through tournaments, territory protection, or the withdrawal of females from a weaker (or older) opponent. Competition can take hidden from view

Everyone has heard about the comparison of man with monkeys or the scientific statement of his origin from these animals. Which is not surprising, because man is one of the representatives of the order Primates, which includes many other mammals.

Representatives of the order Primates are smart animals with a good reaction. They have unique features that other animals do not have. Below you will find articles about the representatives of the Primate squad, in which you can discover a lot of new and incredible things about these funny animals.

The common capuchin is a friendly monkey. Description and photo of common capuchin

The common capuchin is a member of the family of chain-tailed monkeys from the order Primates. Noisy and moving creature. The common capuchin is also called the white-shouldered capuchin. This species of primates is one of the friendliest. In this article you will find a description and photo of the common capuchin, learn a lot of interesting things about this charming monkey.

Ring-tailed lemur is a fidget from Madagascar. Description and photo of ring-tailed lemur

Ring-tailed lemur (other names ring-tailed lemur, lemur catta) is the most popular species of the lemur family. Ring-tailed lemur is a member of the order Primates. In Madagascar, the ring-tailed lemur is nicknamed maquis. Lemurs are very cute, funny and kind animals. Below you will find a description and photo of the lemur, as well as learn a lot of interesting things about this unusual and mysterious animal.

The order Primates (primate - Latin "prince", or "first among the first") in modern classifications is divided into two suborders. The first is the lower primates, or semi-monkeys (prosimia - pre-monkeys), the second is the Higher humanoid primates (anthropoids) (Fig. I. 1).

lower primates. Tupai are small animals, characterized by a long body on short limbs with claws on the fingers, a sharp muzzle and a long tail, which makes them look like rats or squirrels. In the primitive brain, a reduction in the olfactory part and

the visual department is highly developed. The outer wall of the orbit in the skull is absent. Many primitive features were noted in the structure of internal organs. These are arboreal, predominantly nocturnal animals that feed on plant foods and insects.

Lemurs are herd animals, characterized by larger sizes than tupai. They are more numerous and varied. The coat of lemurs is thick, usually brightly colored. Most lemurs have large eyes. The size of the brain is larger than that of the tupaya, but it is also primitive. Lemurs are close in size to a cat, but their brain is twice as large as that of the latter. The toes of lemurs have nails (only the second toe is equipped with a claw for combing wool). The front legs are shorter than the hind legs. There are a lot of lemurs on about. Madagascar, in Equatorial Africa and the Indo-Malay region.

Tupai and lemurs form a group of strepsirin primates with an uncoated, motionless upper lip.

The suborder of the Semi-monkeys also includes very peculiar animals - tarsiers. They are very small, about the size of a rat, with a short body and very long hind limbs with a developed heel part of the foot (hence the name of the animals). The forelimbs are shortened, the tail is long. The skull of the tarsier is rounded, the front part is shortened. Eyes very large, set straight forward. The eye sockets are largely separated from the temporal fossae. The fingers of tarsiers end in "pads" that serve as suction cups when climbing branches. The second and third toes of the foot bear claws, on the remaining toes of the limbs - nails. Tarsiers move by jumping, while the tail serves as both a rudder and a counterweight, and when sitting on its hind legs, it serves as the third fulcrum of the body. Tarsiers live only on the Sunda and Philippine Islands.

Tarsiers, apes, and humans form a group of eaplorin primates, characterized by a hairy upper lip and entire nostrils.

The higher anthropoid primates (monkeys and humans) are much more widespread than the previous suborder, and inhabit mainly the equatorial regions of not only the eastern, but also the western hemisphere.

Monkeys are diurnal herd animals. Their eyes are directed forward. All fingers of the limbs have nails. The trachea consists of open rings. The mother is simple. The brain in monkeys receives significant development, furrows and convolutions are well expressed on the hemispheres of the forebrain. The visual area of ​​the brain is highly developed, and in connection with the daytime lifestyle, a yellow spot develops in the retina, in which color-perceiving receptors, cones, are concentrated.

Higher humanoid primates are divided into two geographically isolated groups: broad-nosed and narrow-nosed.

Broad-nosed monkeys live only in the New World, namely, in the central and equatorial parts of South America. Marmosets and cebuses are small in size. They are covered with thick, soft fur. All American monkeys are purely arboreal forms, they feed mainly on plant foods, insect larvae and bird eggs. The long prehensile tail functions as an additional grasping organ with which monkeys can hang from tree branches, often upside down. The lower surface of the tip of the tail is devoid of hair, it has well-defined skin patterns, like on the fingers. The dentition of the broad-nosed is similar to that of the prosimians. The eye sockets are not completely separated from the temporal fossae. The nostrils are widely spaced and directed to the sides. Marmosets have nails typical of primates only on the first toes of their hind legs. The thumb of the marmoset hand is not opposed. The largest American howler monkeys have vocal resonators that amplify their cries.

Narrow-nosed monkeys live only in the Old World (all of Africa and southern Asia). They are partly arboreal, partly terrestrial herd animals. They include the superfamily (a group of a special classification level) of the lower narrow-nosed (canine) monkeys and the superfamily of the higher narrow-nosed (humanoids).

The lower narrow-nosed monkeys are not directly related to the human pedigree, they are known to us from various types of macaques, baboons, thin-bodied and thick-bodied, often used in experimental biology and medicine. All named monkeys differ from the American ones in the composition of the dental system, closely spaced nostrils, and a non-grasping tail. Nails developed on all fingers. The thumb of the fore and hind limbs is opposed. The forelimbs are shorter than the hind ones. There are ischial calluses and cheek pouches; devoid of an appendix.

Higher narrow-nosed (humanoid) primates are represented in the modern world by humans (Hominid family), gibbons (Small apes family), large great apes (Pongid family). Great apes in nature are represented by five genera. Asian gibbons - gibbons and siamangs. They are characterized by: a small, primitive brain, ischial calluses, thick fur, blood less close to a person in composition. In the gibbon, body proportions differ significantly from humans, and very long forelimbs attract attention. There are no frontal sinuses. Gibbons live in monogamous family groups led by a male leader.

Three genera belong to the pongid family. Large orangutans are found in the marshy forests of Kalimantan and Sumatra. The body length of the male reaches 1.5 m, body weight - up to 200 kg. Males and females are clearly different. Hair has not a smooth, but a corrugated surface. The crowns of the molars are sharply furrowed. The lungs are not divided into lobes. The big toe is almost not expressed. The central bone of the wrist, like in gibbons, is free.

Pongids live in Africa - chimpanzees and gorillas. The habitats are confined to tropical forests and more open landscapes of Equatorial Africa. Chimpanzees (two variants that are different in body size) are close to humans in a number of morphological (relative mass of the brain, massiveness of the skull), physiological and biological features, along with the gorilla. Gorillas (coastal and lowland variants) are the largest modern monkeys with pronounced sexual dimorphism. Body length reaches 1.8-2 m, body weight - up to 200-250 kg. Gorillas live in small herds led by a male leader.

Primates are a group of animals that, in most biological characteristics, do not differ from modern human populations, and their evolutionary paths diverged from humans later than all other animals. The shared characteristics of humans and primates serve both as proof of human evolution and as a source of ideas and doubt. Primates provide a context for the study of human evolution. Primates are a class of mammals characterized by the retention of some primitive traits and the progressive development of more specialized traits associated with an arboreal lifestyle and a high degree of specialization.

Characteristic features of primates

It often happens like this: the description of any group of mammals looks unsuccessful. A formal enumeration of features does not give the reader any idea about the object. However, the most boring description of primates, given in 1873 by the English biologist Jackson Myvart, is also the most reliable: "Placental mammals with claws and clavicle, orbits surrounded by bone, all three types of teeth; pituitary gland with posterior lobe and spur groove; inner finger, along on at least one pair of limbs opposed to the rest; thumb with or without broad nail; caecum well developed; penis hanging down; testicles in scrotum; two mammary mammary glands. And although this description does not capture the true beauty of primates and does not give an idea of ​​\u200b\u200btheir amazing lifestyle, it remains nevertheless the most accurate. Modern scientists can only add two strokes to this portrait: "a shortened nasal part of the muzzle and a flat face provide good spatial and color vision, and a relatively large brain with a developed cerebral cortex determines complex behavior."

This description is very general. There are primates that lack this or that feature. On the other hand, some of the features mentioned are also found in other groups of animals. For example, many mammals have clavicles and three types of teeth.

The order Primates belongs to the class of mammals, the subtype of vertebrates, the type of chordates. The following features are characteristic of the chordate type:

1. The skeleton is formed by a chord - a highly vacuolated connective tissue - which is necessarily present at least at one of the stages of ontogenesis, for example, in embryogenesis;

2. Central nervous system - in the form of a tube with a slit;

3. In front of the digestive tube - the pharynx - there are gill slits;

4. For all chordates, the general plan of the structure of organ systems is typical: the intestine is under the chord, and it is under the neural tube.

In addition, all chordates have features that make them related to invertebrates - this is bilateral symmetry and a secondary mouth. A typical representative of the simplest chordates lancelet. The vertebrate subtype includes the following classes: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. All of them are united by the presence of the jaw apparatus, an active lifestyle, that is, an active search for food and a sexual partner. With active movement, limbs appear: in fish, these are fins, and in other representatives, the limbs of a five-fingered. In connection with orientation, the sense organs, the brain and spinal cord develop, and the skull and spine that protect them appear. All vertebrates have an intensive metabolism, a closed circulatory system, a heart, respiratory and excretory organs.

The class of mammals is characterized by live birth, carrying a cub in the uterus and feeding it with milk. Mammals have a dental system with different types of teeth, reflecting their food specialization - incisors, canines, premolars and molars. Milk teeth are replaced by permanent ones. All mammals are homoiothermic (this is with a constant body temperature) animals with a high level of metabolism. Their body is covered with hair, which are derivatives of the skin. Females have mammary glands. All mammals, in addition to the inner and middle, also have an outer ear.

The structure of the skeleton of the representatives of the detachment

The four-legged lemurs, as well as most monkeys like monkeys, have retained the original structure of the ancient primates. They have a long back, a short and narrow chest, long and thin femurs, and hind limbs no shorter than the front ones. These animals live mainly on trees, running or jumping along the branches. The long tail plays the role of a rudder or balancer during jumps. Terrestrial monkeys, such as baboons, usually have much shorter tails.

Great apes and sluggish prosimians do not have tails. In orangutans and other great apes, the back is shorter, the chest is wider, and the pelvic bones are stronger. These are traits associated with an upright posture. The arms are longer than the legs, especially in species such as gibbons and orangutans, which move by swinging their arms (brachiation).

The structure of the arms and legs in primates is associated with their lifestyle (Fig. 1):

1. The hand of a spider monkey with a very short thumb is characteristic of species that move with the help of arm swings. 2. Gibbon: The short, opposed thumb is away from the others involved in the brachiation grip. 3. Gorilla: the thumb on the hand is opposed to the rest, which contributes to the accuracy of manipulation. 4. Macaques: The short, opposed thumb allows the animals to rest on the ground with an open palm. 5. Tamarin: a long foot and claws on all fingers, except for the big one, are characteristic of all species clinging to tree branches (in other monkeys, all fingers are equipped with flat claws). 6 Siamang and 7 Orangutan: wide foot with long, grippy thumb, good for climbing. 8. Baboon: long graceful foot is convenient for moving on the ground.

Rice. 1 Limbs of primates

The jaws of the insectivorous ancestors of primates were armed with numerous pointed teeth (Fig. 2). In strepsirrhines such as lemurs (1), the first lower premolar is shaped like a canine, and the surfaces of the lower incisors and canines lie in the same plane, forming a toothcomb similar to that of the galagos. Galago use this comb during feeding and grooming. In leaf-eating monkeys of the Old World, for example, thin-bodied (2), the surface of the molars is, as it were, divided into squares by four sharp protrusions connected by oblique ridges - a good tool is obtained for grinding roughage. In great apes, in particular in the gorilla (3), the lower molars have five protrusions, and the ridges have a complex shape.

Rice. 2. General view of the teeth of different species of primates

Anatomical and physiological features of the detachment

Primates are medium-sized mammals. They are larger than insectivorous and bats, smaller than most ungulates and cetaceans. Their body weight ranges from 30 g (in the gray mouse lemur) to 150 kg or more (in male gorillas). Like other mammals, large primate species breed less frequently but live longer than their smaller relatives.

Mouse lemurs are able to breed already at the age of one year and every year give birth to 2 cubs weighing 6.5 g after a 2-month pregnancy. The longevity record for a mouse lemur is 15 years. On the contrary, the female gorilla becomes sexually mature only by the age of 10 years. She gives birth to one cub weighing 2.1 kg after 9 months of pregnancy and can become pregnant again only after 4 years. Gorillas usually live up to 40 years.

With significant species differences, a small offspring is common to all species of monkeys: the female gives birth to only one or two cubs at a time.

The growth rate of young animals in primates is also low, much lower than in other mammals with a similar body weight. The reason for this difference is unclear, but may be related to brain size. Brain tissues are the most energy intensive in the body. A high level of metabolism in the brain in large primates reduces the rate of body growth and the development of reproductive organs.

Due to low reproduction rates, primates have a rather strong propensity for infanticide. It is not uncommon for males to kill offspring born by a female to other males, as the lactating female is unable to conceive again. Males, even at the peak of their physical development, are limited in their attempts to reproduce and do everything possible to maintain their genotype. So, the male monkey Hanuman has only 800 days to procreate out of 20 years of life.

Body weight differs not only in different primates, but also in males and females of the same species. Males are usually larger than females (although there are many exceptions to this rule).

In some monkeys, the family consists of one male and several females. Since body weight gives the male an advantage in a duel with his own kind, there is a natural selection for an increase in body weight. The male Hanuman sometimes gathers a harem of 20 females, whom he has to protect from the encroachments of other males. The body weight of the harem owner can be 160% of the female's weight. In contrast, in species whose males usually mate with only one female (gibbons), the sexes do not differ in size. Sexual dimorphism in lemurs is very weakly expressed. These animals live in groups, like other primates. Scientists suggest that the social structure in these animals is different from that of other primates.

Not only the size of the body plays a role in the tough struggle for paternity. Fangs are powerful weapons, which are used by males in fights and aggressive demonstrations. In addition, there are more sophisticated ways to defeat the enemy. There are species in which several males fertilize one female. The winner is the one who has large testicles and is able to produce more sperm. This increases the likelihood of fertilization of the egg by the sperm of the record-breaking male.

Sexual competition is reflected not only in the morphology of males. In many female primates, breeding cycles are accompanied by periodic reddening and swelling of the skin in the anagenital region. Such a pattern, clearly visible from afar, becomes most vivid on the days of ovulation. This phenomenon is typical for species living in large mixed groups. Females with swollen flesh are most attractive to males. Although females tend to mate with stronger and larger males, they attract everyone, even young ones. Ultimately, this reduces the likelihood of infanticide: even a small chance of participating in reproduction prevents males from trying to kill other people's cubs. So important is swollen flesh as a signal of readiness to reproduce that female geladas, whose anagenital region is poorly visible because these monkeys feed while sitting, have evolved skin with the same function on the chest.