BIO 370 — Vertebrate Zoology
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Vertebrate Diversity
Order Primates

(Click on any image for larger version)

Primate Characteristics

  • Arboreal lifestyle
  • Grasping hands with flat nails rather than claws
  • 5 digits with flexible thumbs & toes for grasping
  • Shoulder and elbow joints that permits high degree of forelimb rotation; retain clavicle
  • Fewer teeth; molars with simple rounded cusps
  • Large, forward-facing eyes (binocular vision)
  • Relatively reduced snout in most
  • Large brain relative to body size
  • Usually only 2 mammary glands (have relatively few offspring)
  • Extensive parental care

See also
Hominid Skeleton page


Living Primate Diversity


Strepsirhine "Prosimians"

  • The term "prosimian" refers to the anatomically primitive primates that are not monkeys or apes. This group is paraphyletic
  • Extant strepsirhines form a monophyletic group that is the sister group to all other primates (the Haplorhini)
  • Relatively small size
  • Tend to be longer-snouted
  • Nostrils surrounded by moist skin
  • Tend to be smaller brained than other primates
  • Africa, Asia, Madagascar
Slow Loris Skull
Sunda Slow Loris Skull, Nycticebus coucang (Family Lorisidae)
Roughed Lemur Skull
Ruffed Lemur Skull, Varecia variegata (Family Lemuridae)
Bush Baby
Bush Baby, Galago sp. (Family Galagonidae)
Ring-tailed Lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur, Lemur catta (Family Lemuridae)
Roughed Lemur
"Black-and-white" Ruffed Lemur, Varecia variegata (Family Lemuridae)



Haplorhini

  • Includes tarsiers (considered "prosimians") and the Anthropoidea (monkeys and apes)
  • Snout usually shorter
  • Nose dry and hairy
  • Incisors spatulate
  • Brain proportionately larger

    Ceboidae
    • New World monkeys, tamarins and marmosets
    • Many have prehensile tail
    • Nostrils point to side
    • Central and South America
Squirrel Monkeys
Common Squirrel Monkey, Saimiri sciureus (Family Cebidae)
Cottontop Tamarin
Cotton-top Tamarin, Saguinus oedipus (Family Callitrichidae)
Spider Monkey
Black-handed Spider Monkey, Ateles geoffroyi (Family Atelidae)

    Cercopithecoidae
    • Old World monkeys
    • Tail usually long but never prehensile
    • Males (and some females) have large canines
    • Nostrils point down
    • Africa and southern Asia
Monkey Skull
Vervet Monkey Skull, Cercopithecus aethiops (Family Cercopithecidae)
See also labeled photo.
Baboon Skull
Hamadryas Baboon skull, Papio hamadryas (Family Cercopithecidae)
B&W Colobus
Guereza Colobus, Colobus guereza, Kenya (Family Cercopithecidae)
DeBrazza Monkey
DeBrazza's Monkey, Cercopithecus neglectus (Family Cercopithecidae)
Olive Baboon
Olive Baboon, Papio anubis, Kenya (Family Cercopithecidae)
Japanese Macaques
Japanese Macaques, Macaca fuscata (Family Cercopithecidae)

    Hominoidea
    • Apes
    • Medium to large size
    • Lack tail
    • Africa and southern Asia
Crested Gibbon
Male Yellow-cheeked Gibbon, Nomascus gabriellae (Family Hylobatidae)
Siamang
Siamang Gibbon, Symphalangus syndactylus (Family Hylobatidae)
Orangutan
Orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus (Family Hominidae)
Gorilla
(Lowland) Gorilla, Gorilla gorilla (Family Hominidae)
Human
Human, Homo sapiens (Family Hominidae)
Orangutan Skull
Orangutan skull, Pongo pygmaeus (Family Hominidae)
Gorilla Skull
Gorilla skull, male, Gorilla gorilla (Family Hominidae)
Chimp Skull
Chimpanzee skull, Pan troglodytes (Family Hominidae)

Fossil Hominids


A. afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis
3.9 to 2.9 million years ago
A. africanus
Australopithecus africanus
3.0 to 2.3 million years ago
P. boisei
Paranthropus boisei
2.3 to 1.4 million years ago
P. aethiopicus
Paranthropus aethiopicus
2.7 to 1.9 million years ago

H. habilis
Homo habilis
1.9 to 1.6 million years ago
H. ergaster
Homo ergaster
1.8 to 1.4 million years ago
H. erectus
Homo erectus
1.8 to 0.3 million years ago (may have persisted until 18,000 years ago in Indonesia)
H. neanderthalensis
Homo neanderthalensis
300 to 30 thousand years ago

H. sapiens cro magnon
Homo sapiens ("Cro Magnon Man")
160,000 years ago to present
H. sapiens
Homo sapiens (Modern)
160,000 years ago to present
This page last updated 12 December 2011 by Udo M. Savalli ()
Images and text © Udo M. Savalli. All rights reserved.