Primates are representatives of the name. Primate order: classification, characteristics, features, range and conservation status

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 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.

The class of mammals is characterized by live birth, feeding the cub with milk, carrying it in the uterus. All representatives of this class are homoiothermic, that is, their body temperature is constant. In addition, their metabolic rate is high. In addition to the middle and inner ear, all mammals also have an outer ear. Females have mammary glands.

Primates (semi-monkeys and monkeys) of all mammals are perhaps the greatest richness and variety of forms. However, despite the differences between them, many structural features of their bodies are similar. They have developed in a long process of evolution as a result of an arboreal lifestyle.

Primate limbs

Primates are animals with a five-fingered grasping limb, well developed. It is adapted to the climbing of the representatives of this detachment along the branches of trees. All of them have a clavicle, and the ulna and radius are completely separated, which provides a variety of movements and mobility of the forelimb. The thumb is also movable. It can be contrasted in many species with the rest. The terminal phalanges of the fingers are provided with nails. In primate forms that have claw-like nails, or those that have claws on only some of the fingers, the thumb is characterized by the presence of a flat nail.

The structure of primates

When moving on the surface of the earth, they rely on the entire foot. In primates, tree life is associated with a reduction in the sense of smell, as well as a good development of the organs of hearing and vision. They have 3-4 turbinates. Primates - whose eyes are directed forward, the eye sockets are separated from the temporal fossa by the periorbital ring (lemurs, tupai), or by a bone septum (monkeys, tarsiers). In lower primates, there are 4-5 groups of vibrissae (tactile hairs) on the muzzle, in higher ones - 2-3. In monkeys, as well as in humans, skin ridges are developed on the entire plantar and palmar surface. However, the semi-monkeys have them only on the pads. The variety of functions that the forelimbs have, as well as the active life of primates, led to a strong development of their brain. And this means an increase in the volume of the skull in these animals. However, only higher primates have large, well-developed cerebral hemispheres with many convolutions and furrows. In the lower ones, the brain is smooth, there are few convolutions and furrows in it.

Hairline and tail

In species of this order, the hairline is thick. Prosimians have an undercoat, but in most primates it is poorly developed. The coat and skin of many species are brightly colored, the eyes are yellow or brown. Their tail is long, but there are also tailless and short-tailed forms.

Nutrition

Primates are animals that feed mainly on a mixed diet, in which plant matter predominates. Some species are insectivorous. The stomach in primates, due to the mixed type of nutrition, is simple. They have 4 types of teeth - canines, incisors, large (molars) and small (premolars) molars, as well as molars with 3-5 tubercles. A complete change of teeth occurs in primates, it applies to both permanent and milk teeth.

Body dimensions

Significant variations are noted in the body size of representatives of this order. The smallest primates are mouse lemurs, while the growth of gorillas reaches 180 cm and above. The body mass of males and females differs - males are usually larger, although there are many exceptions to this rule. The family of some monkeys consists of several females and a male. Since body weight is an advantage for the latter, there is a natural selection associated with its increase. For example, a male Hanuman can assemble a whole harem of 20 females - a very large family. Primates are forced to guard their harem from other males. At the same time, in the owner of the family, the body weight reaches 160% of the female's weight. In other species, in which males usually mate with only one female (for example, gibbons), representatives of different sexes do not differ in size. very weakly expressed in lemurs.

In the struggle for paternity, not only the size of the body in such a detachment as primates plays an important role. These are animals whose fangs serve as powerful weapons for them. Males use them in aggressive displays and fights.

Primate reproduction and offspring

Primates breed throughout the year. Usually one cub is born (lower forms may have 2-3). Large species of primates breed less frequently, but live longer than their smaller relatives.

Already at the age of a year, mouse lemurs are able to breed. Every year, two cubs are born. The body weight of each of them is about 6.5 g. Pregnancy lasts 2 months. 15 years is a longevity record for this species. The female gorilla, on the contrary, becomes sexually mature only by the age of 10. One cub is born, whose body weight is 2.1 kg. Pregnancy lasts 9 months, after which a second pregnancy can occur only after 4 years. Gorillas usually live up to 40 years.

Common to different, with significant species differences, is a small offspring. The growth rates of young animals in representatives of this order are very low, much lower than those observed in other mammals with a similar body weight. It is difficult to say what is the reason for this peculiarity. Perhaps it should be sought in the size of the brain. The fact is that the brain tissues are the most energy-intensive in the body. In large primates, it has a high level of metabolism, which reduces the rate of development of reproductive organs, as well as body growth.

prone to infanticide

In primates, due to low rates of reproduction, a tendency to infanticide is expressed. Often, males kill the cubs that the female gave birth to other males, since the lactating individual cannot conceive again. Males that are at the peak of their physical development are limited in their breeding attempts. Therefore, they do everything possible to preserve their genotype. A male monkey, for example, Hanuman, has only 800 days out of 20 years of life to procreate.

Lifestyle

The primate order is generally tree-dwelling, however there are semi-terrestrial and terrestrial species. Representatives of this detachment have a daytime lifestyle. Usually it is gregarious, rarely solitary or paired. They mainly live in the subtropical and tropical forests of Asia, Africa and America, and are also found in high mountain areas.

Primate classification

About 200 species of modern primates are known. There are 2 suborders (monkeys and semi-monkeys), 12 families and 57 genera. According to the classification, the most common at present, the primate order includes tupai, forming an independent family. These primates, together with tarsiers and lemurs, form a suborder of semi-monkeys. They connect through lemurs with modern primates, recalling what kind of ancestors the latter had in ancient times.

Primates: evolution

It is believed that the ancestors of modern primates were insectivorous primitive mammals, similar to the tupai that exist today. Their remains were found in Mongolia, in the Upper Cretaceous deposits. Apparently, these ancient species lived in Asia, from which they spread to other places in North America and the Old World. Here these primates developed into tarsiers and lemurs. The evolution of the original forms and the New World, apparently, was from primitive long-legged creatures (some authors consider ancient lemurs to be the ancestors of monkeys). Independently of the apes found in the Old World, American primates arose. Their ancestors from North America penetrated into South. Here they specialized and developed, adapting to an exclusively arboreal lifestyle. In many biological and anatomical ways, humans are superior primates. We constitute a separate family of people with the genus man and only one species - the modern intelligent.

The practical importance of primates

Modern primates are of great practical importance. Since ancient times, they have attracted the attention of man as funny living creatures. Monkeys were the subject of hunting. In addition, these mammals were put up for sale for home entertainment or in the zoo. Primates are even eaten today! Aborigines still eat the meat of many monkeys today. The meat of the semi-monkeys is also considered very tasty. The skins of certain species are used today for dressing various things.

The primate order has become increasingly important in medical and biological experiments in recent years. These animals show great resemblance to humans in many anatomical and physiological features. Moreover, not only anthropoid primates have this similarity, but also the lower ones. Representatives of this order are even susceptible to the same diseases as we are (tuberculosis, dysentery, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, tonsillitis, measles, etc.), which proceed in general in the same way as we do. That is why some of their organs are used today in the treatment of people (in particular, the kidneys of green monkeys, macaques and other monkeys - a nutrient medium for growing viruses, which, after appropriate processing, then turn into a polio vaccine).

Primates (lat. Primates, from lat. primas, lit. "first") - one of the most progressive orders of placental mammals, including, among other things, monkeys and humans. The order includes more than 400 species

Appearance

Primates are characterized by five-fingered, very mobile upper limbs (hands), opposition of the thumb to the rest (for the majority), and nails. The body of most primates is covered with hair, and lemurs and some broad-nosed monkeys also have an undercoat, which is why their hairline can be called real fur.

general characteristics

 binocular vision

 Hairline

 five-fingered limb

 fingers are equipped with nails

 the thumb of the brush is opposed to all the rest

 underdeveloped sense of smell

Significant development of the cerebral hemispheres

Classification

A detachment of primates was identified back in 1758 by Linnaeus, who attributed to him people, monkeys, semi-monkeys, bats and sloths. For the defining features of primates, Linnaeus took the presence of two mammary glands and a five-fingered limb. In the same century, Georges Buffon divided primates into two orders - four-armed (Quadrumana) and two-armed (Bimanus), separating man from other primates. Only 100 years later, Thomas Huxley put an end to this division by proving that the monkey's hind limb is a leg. Since the 18th century, the composition of the taxon has changed, but back in the 20th century, slow loris were classified as sloths, and bats were excluded from the number of closest relatives of primates at the beginning of the 21st century.

Recently, the classification of primates has undergone significant changes. Previously, suborders of semi-monkeys (Prosimii) and anthropoid primates (Anthropoidea) were distinguished. The semi-monkeys included all representatives of the modern suborder strepsirrhines, (Strepsirhini), tarsiers, and sometimes tupai (now considered as a special detachment). Anthropoids became the infraorder apes in the suborder dry-nosed monkeys. In addition, the Pongidae family was previously distinguished, which is now considered a subfamily of Pongina within the Hominid family.

 suborder strepsirrhines (Strepsirhini)

 Lemuriformes infraorder

 lemurs, or lemurids (Lemuridae): actually lemurs

 dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleidae): dwarf and mouse lemurs

Lepilemuridae (Lepilemuridae)

 Indriidae (Indriidae): indri, avagis and sifaki

 hand-legged (Daubentoniidae): aye-aye (single species)

 Infraorder Loriformes (Loriformes)

Loris (Loridae): lorises and pottos

 Galagonidae (Galagonidae): Galago proper

 suborder dry-nosed (Haplorhini)

 infraorder tarsiiformes (Tarsiiformes)

 tarsiers (Tarsiidae)

 Infraorder Monkeys (Simiiformes)

 parvoorder broad-nosed monkeys, or monkeys of the New World (Platyrrhina)

 marmosets (Callitrichidae)

 chain-tailed (Cebidae)

 night monkeys (Aotidae)

 Saky (Pitheciidae)

 arachnids (Atelidae)

 narrow-nosed monkeys, or primates of the Old World (Catarhina)

 superfamily canine-headed (Cercopithecoidea)

 marmoset, or lower narrow-nosed monkeys (Cercopithecidae): macaques, baboons, monkeys, etc.

 superfamily great apes, or hominoids (Hominoidea), or anthropomorphids (Anthropomorphidae)

 gibbons, or lesser apes (Hylobatidae): true gibbons, nomascuses, huloks and siamangs

 hominids (Hominidae): orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans

• Primates (lat. Primates, fr. Primat, from primas, lit. "first") - one of the most progressive orders of placental mammals, including, among other things, monkeys and humans. The order includes more than 400 species.

  The ancestors of primates lived in trees in tropical forests. The lifestyle of most modern primates is also associated with trees. Accordingly, they are adapted to a three-dimensional habitat.

  With the exception of man, who inhabits all continents, most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions of North and South America, Africa and Asia. The body weight of primates varies from 30 g in the lemur Microcebus berthae to over 200 kg in the eastern lowland gorilla. According to paleontological data, the ancestors of primates appeared at the end of the Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago; the most ancient primates (representatives of the genus Plesiadapis) are known from the late Paleocene, 55-58 million years ago. The molecular clock method indicates that primates may have diverged from their ancestral forms in the mid-Cretaceous about 85 million years ago.

  The primate order was traditionally divided into two suborders - prosimians and monkeys. Primates from the semi-monkey suborder have features characteristic of ancient primates. This suborder included, in particular, lemurs, loris and tarsiers. Primates from the suborder of monkeys were represented by anthropoids, including anthropoids and humans. More recently, primates have been classified into the suborder Strepsirrhini, or strepsirrhine primates, and the suborder Haplorhini, or dry-nosed primates, which include tarsiers and apes. Apes are divided into broad-nosed, or New World monkeys (living in South and Central America), and narrow-nosed, or Old World monkeys (living in Africa and Southeast Asia). The monkeys of the New World include, in particular, capuchins, howler monkeys and saimiri. Narrow-nosed monkeys (such as baboons and macaques), gibbons, and great apes are represented. Man is the only narrow-nosed ape that has spread outside of Africa, South and East Asia, although fossil remains indicate that many other species previously lived in Europe. New species of primates are constantly described, more than 25 species have been described in the first decade of the 21st century, eleven species have been described since 2010.

  Most primates are arboreal, but some (including great apes and baboons) have moved to terrestrial. However, terrestrial primates retain adaptations for climbing trees. Modes of locomotion include jumping from tree to tree, walking on two or four limbs, walking on the hind limbs on the toes of the forelimbs, and brachiation, a movement in which the animal swings on the forelimbs.

  Primates have larger brains than other mammals. Of all the senses, stereoscopic vision is the most important, as is the sense of smell. These features are more pronounced in monkeys and weaker in lorises and lemurs. Some primates have tricolor vision. In most, the thumb is opposed to the others; some have a prehensile tail. Many species are characterized by sexual dimorphism, which manifests itself in body weight, fangs size, color.

  Primates develop and reach maturity more slowly than other mammals of similar size, but live long lives. Depending on the species, adults can live alone, in pairs, or in groups of up to hundreds of individuals.

What animals represent the order of primates, you will learn from this article.

Order of primates: representatives

Primates are the most highly developed mammals.

Primates belong to the order various prosimians, higher primates or monkeys. We will talk about this in more detail below. Primates have prehensile five-fingered limbs, thumb opposed to the rest, flat nails, and there are patterns on the soles of the feet and palms. Almost all animals have a tail. The brain is large and with developed hemispheres along with convolutions and furrows. Primates can communicate with each other. They live in the forests of the subtropics and tropics. They often live in family groups or small herds.

Members of the primate order

• half-monkeys- tarsiers and lemurs, active at night and live in trees. Found in Africa and Tropical Asia. Outwardly, they resemble predatory animals with fluffy tails.
• Greater primates or monkeys are highly organized animals. They include the family of monkeys and great apes.
• Members of the marmoset family: monkeys, baboons, macaques. Monkeys are found in savannah and tropical forests. They spend most of their lives in trees. These are graceful and slender animals that can climb trees and run on the ground. They live in herds. They eat plant foods. The most famous representative of the monkeys is the green monkey, which has a bright green cap on its head and white sideburns. Macaques are semi-terrestrial and semi-arboreal monkeys that have bare ears and face. Emotions are shown by approaching or raising eyebrows, smacking lips. Dog-headed monkeys or baboons are fairly large animals with an elongated muzzle. They live in herds and lead a terrestrial lifestyle.

Highly developed or great apes include gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans. Outwardly, they resemble a person. They have a wide bare face, small auricles, stretching lips, and highly developed facial expressions. They do not have a tail or cheek pouches. They walk on the ground on 4 legs and rely on the sole of their feet and the back of the bent fingers. Females, having given birth to a cub, touchingly take care of him, resembling the habits of a person. Animals can use simple tools.