What are Primates?
Introduction
Mammals are regarded as highly developed and advanced animals. They have four limbs with vertebral column, endothermic and bear mammary glands. If primates are mammals what makes them distinguish from most mammals? Primates including humans have some unique features. Some adaptive behavior of primates make them able to survive in certain habitats such as trees. Some other features help them to survive in complex social and cultural situations.
Key Features of Primates:
Most of the primates are omnivores. The order primates contains all the species commonly related to lemurs, monkeys and apes and humans. Following are the diagnostic characteristics of primates:
They have five fingers known as pentadactyl.
They have several type of teeth
They have eye orbit ( bone that runs the eye socket).
They have an opposable thumb that helps to hold and grip the things
Big Brain:
Talking about the brain and its part, primates have a large size of cerebrum. A larger cerebrum allows primates to develop a high level of intelligence. Hence they have the ability to learn new behaviors and adapt in complex social interactions such as fighting and play.
Social Relationships:
Old World(Monkeys of Africa and Asia) species of apes and monkeys tend to have significant differences in the size of sexes. This condition is also called sexual dimorphism. Male tend to be slightly bigger than females( maybe twice).
New World (Tamarins, Marmosets) Species form pair bonds which is a partnership between a mating that lasts at least one season. The pair cooperatively raise the offspring and generally do not show significant size difference between the sexes. New World Species represents monkeys of Americas
Habitats of Non Human Primates:
Non human primates are mostly found in Central and South America, Africa and South Asia. Most of these primates live in trees since they evolved from the animals living in trees. Only a few animals live on land such as Gelada and Humans.
Adaptive Features:
The Combination of opposable thumbs, short fingernails, and long inward closing fingers allows the primates the ability to move, swing from one branch to another branch. The expanded finger like parts help some of the primates like Tarsiers helps in grasping
Few species such as Proboscis Monkeys have webbed fingers which help them to swim and live in aquatic habitats.
Some species like Rhesus macaque and Human langur can survive in City by eating human garbage
Click Here for the classification of Primates