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Primates. Primates The order of higher primates includes

Many people have a special interest in the order of mammals known as primates, for the simple reason that Homo sapiens are themselves closely related to primates. In this article, you will discover 10 interesting facts about primates, a widespread group of animals that includes monkeys, lemurs, tarsiers and humans.

1. The word primates means "first"

Perhaps this name hides human egocentrism. Primates means "first" in Latin, a not-so-subtle reminder that man considers himself to be the pinnacle of evolution. From a scientific point of view, there is no reason to believe that monkeys, tarsiers and lemurs, representing the order of primates, are more advanced in terms of evolution than birds, reptiles and even fish. They just took a different evolutionary path millions of years ago.

2. There are two main suborders of primates

Until recently, naturalists divided the order into prosimians (Prosimii) and great apes (Anthropoidea). Today, the classification of primates has undergone significant changes. The squad is now divided into the following two sub-detachments:

wet-nosed (Strepsyrhini), including lemuriformes and lorisiformes;
dry-nosed (Haplorrhini), dividing into tarsiforms and apes.

We humans belong to the suborder of dry-nosed animals.

3. Primates have larger brains than other mammals.

There are a lot anatomical characteristics, which distinguish primates from other orders of mammals, but the most main feature- this is their brain. Monkeys and other members of the order have larger brains relative to body size than other animals. Why do primates need big brains? To process the information needed to effectively use (depending on the species) their opposable thumb, prehensile tail, and keen binocular vision.

4. The first primates evolved at the end of the Mesozoic era

Fossil evidence is still disputed, but most paleontologists agree that the first primates appeared between the middle and the end Cretaceous period. Early candidates for the role of the first primate include the North American Purgatorius, and then, ten million years later, Plesiadapis appeared, living in the open spaces North America and Eurasia. After this, an important evolutionary split occurred between prehistoric and modern world primates. It is unclear exactly when this event occurred, but most likely during the Eocene epoch.

5. Primates are quite social animals.

Perhaps because they rely more on their brains than on their claws and teeth, most primate species tend to seek protection in communities such as clans, monogamous male-female pairs, and even distinctly human-like families. . However, it is important to understand that primate social gatherings are not oases of peace and comfort. Murder and abuse are distressingly common, and some species even kill the newborn cubs of their own clan.

6. Primates Can Use Tools

You could write an entire book about “tool use” in the animal kingdom. Suffice it to say that naturalists no longer consider such behavior to be a characteristic of primates (for example, some birds use branches to pull insects out of trees). However, primates use many more tools than any other animal group. Sticks, stones and leaves are used for a variety of difficult tasks (for example, cleaning ears or picking dirt out from under toenails).

Of course, Homo Sapiens was the best at using the tools, thanks to which we were able to build modern civilization!

7. Development in primates occurs more slowly than in other mammals

Big brains are something of a blessing and a curse: they help with reproduction, but also take longer to develop. Newborn primates, with their immature brains, are unable to survive without the help of one or both parents, or social group, for several months or years. In addition, like humans, most primates give birth to only one young, which entails a large investment of parental resources (and sea turtle can afford to ignore its offspring because only one in twenty hatched turtles will make it to deep water).

8. Most primates are omnivores

One of the reasons why primates are so widespread across the planet is the fact that most species (including apes and chimpanzees) are omnivores. However, tarsiers are considered the only primates that are exclusively carnivores, and some species of lemurs, howler monkeys and marmosets are vegetarians.

9. Primates are sexually dimorphic

This is not a hard and fast rule, but many primate species exhibit sexual dimorphism, a tendency for males to be larger and more dangerous than females. Males of some primate species also have different coat colors and larger teeth than females. Oddly enough, the manifestation of sexual dimorphism in humans is one of the most subtle of all primates on the planet, with men outweighing women by an average of only 15% (although you can draw your own conclusions about the aggressiveness of men relative to women).

10. Some primate species have yet to be discovered

Of all the orders of mammals on Earth, primates might be the best studied: after all, most human naturalists have a special interest in tracking down our closest relatives. But given the tendency of small primates to hide in remote areas of the rainforest, we are only fooling ourselves if we think we have discovered all the species. As recently as 350 species of primates were identified in 2001, today there are about 450, meaning about half a dozen new species are discovered every year.

Everyone has heard about the comparison of man with monkeys or the scientific assertion of his origin from these animals. Which is not surprising, since humans are one of the representatives of the Primate order, which includes many other mammals.

Representatives of the order Primates are smart animals with good reactions. They have unique features, which are not endowed with other animals. Below you will find articles about representatives of the Primates order, 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 the common capuchin

The common capuchin is a representative of the family of prehensile-tailed monkeys from the order Primates. A noisy and active creature. The common capuchin is also called the Steller's capuchin. This species of primate is one of the friendliest. In this article you will find a description and photo of the common capuchin and learn a lot of interesting things about this charming monkey.

The ring-tailed lemur is a restless lemur from Madagascar. Description and photo of the ring-tailed lemur

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

Primates are a group of animals that, for the most part, biological characteristics are no different from modern human populations, and its evolutionary paths diverged from those of humans later than those of all other animals. The common characteristics of humans and primates serve both as evidence of human evolution and as a source of ideas and doubts. Primates provide the context for the study of human evolution. Primates are an order of the class of mammals, characterized by the retention of some primitive features and the progressive development of more specialized features associated with an arboreal lifestyle and high degree specializations.

Characteristics of primates

It often happens that the description of a group of mammals looks unsuccessful. A formal listing 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 calcarine groove; inner finger, along at least on one pair of limbs it is opposed to the others; thumb with or without a wide nail; the cecum is well developed; penile penis; testes in the scrotum; two mammary glands." And although this description does not reflect the true beauty of primates and does not give an idea of their amazing way of life, it nevertheless remains the most accurate. Modern scientists can add only two strokes to this portrait: "a shortened nasal part of the muzzle and a flat face provides 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 one or another feature. On the other hand, some of the mentioned characteristics are also found in other groups of animals. For example, many mammals have collarbones and three types of teeth.

The order Primates belongs to the class of mammals, the subphylum of vertebrates, and the phylum of chordates. The following characteristics are characteristic of the chordate type:

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

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

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

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

In addition, all chordates are characterized by characteristics that make them similar to invertebrate animals - these are bilateral symmetry and a secondary mouth. Typical representative protozoan chordate lancelet. The vertebrate subphylum includes the following classes: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. What they all have in common is the presence of a jaw apparatus, active image life, that is, an active search for food and a sexual partner. With active movement, limbs appear: in fish they are fins, and in other representatives they are five-fingered limbs. In connection with orientation, sensory organs, the brain and spinal cord develop, and the skull and spine that protect them appear. All vertebrates have an intense metabolism, closed circulatory system, heart, respiratory and excretory organs.

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

Skeletal structure of representatives of the order

Quadruped lemurs, as well as most monkeys like monkeys, have retained the original structure of ancient primates. They have a long back, short and narrow rib cage, long and thin femurs, hind limbs no shorter than the front ones. These animals live mainly in trees, running or jumping along branches. A long tail plays the role of a steering wheel or balancer during jumps. Land-dwelling monkeys, such as baboons, tend to have much shorter tails.

Apes and slow-moving prosimians do not have tails. Orangutans and other great apes have a shorter back, a wider chest, pelvic bones more durable. These are traits associated with 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 of primates is associated with their lifestyle (Fig. 1):

1. The spider monkey's hand with a very short thumb is characteristic of species that move by swinging their arms. 2. Gibbon: the short opposable thumb is removed from the rest involved in grasping during brachiation. 3. Gorilla: the thumb on the hand is opposed to the rest, which contributes to the precision of manipulation. 4. Macaque: A short opposable thumb allows the animal to rest on the ground with an open palm. 5. Tamarin: a long foot and claws on all fingers except the big one are characteristic of all species that cling to tree branches (in other monkeys all fingers are equipped with flat claws). 6 Siamang and 7 Orangutan: wide foot with long, gripping big toe, suitable for climbing. 8. Baboon: The long, graceful foot is good for walking on the ground.

Rice. 1 Primate limbs

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 fang, and the surfaces of the lower incisors and canines lie in the same plane, forming a dental ridge, the same as in galagos. Galagos use this comb when feeding and grooming. In leaf-eating monkeys of the Old World, for example in slender-bodied monkeys (2), the surface of the molars is, as it were, divided into squares by four sharp projections connected by oblique ridges - this makes a good tool for grinding rough food. In apes, particularly the gorilla (3), the lower molars have five ridges and the ridges have a complex shape.

Rice. 2. General form teeth different types primates

Anatomical and physiological features of the order

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

Mouse lemurs are able to reproduce at the age of one year and every year they give birth to 2 cubs weighing 6.5 g after a 2-month pregnancy. The longevity record for the mouse lemur is 15 years. In contrast, a female gorilla does not become sexually mature until she is 10 years old. 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.

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

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

Due to low rates of reproduction, primates have a fairly strong tendency to infanticide. Males often kill cubs born to other males by a female because the lactating female cannot conceive again. Males, even those at the peak of their physical development, are limited in their attempts to reproduce and do everything possible to preserve their genotype. Thus, the male Hanuman monkey has only 800 days to procreate out of 20 years of life.

Body weight varies not only among different primates, but also among 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, he goes natural selection to increase body weight. A male hanuman sometimes collects a harem of 20 females, which he has to protect from the attacks of other males. The body weight of the harem owner can be 160% of the female's weight. In contrast, in species in which males usually mate with only one female (gibbons), the sexes do not differ in size. Sexual dimorphism is very weakly expressed in lemurs. These animals live in groups, like other primates. Scientists suggest that the social structure of these animals is different from that of other primates.

It's not just body size that plays a role in the tough battle for paternity. Powerful weapons The fangs serve as fangs, which are used by males in fights and aggressive displays. 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 testes and is able to produce more sperm. This increases the likelihood of the egg being fertilized by the sperm of the record-breaking male.

Sexual competition is reflected not only in the morphology of males. In many female primates, reproductive cycles are accompanied by periodic redness and swelling of the skin in the angenital area. This pattern, clearly visible from afar, becomes most striking 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 strive 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 the desire of males to kill other people's cubs. Swollen flesh as a signal of readiness for reproduction is so important that female geladas, whose anagenal area is difficult to see because these monkeys feed while sitting, have acquired patches of skin with the same function on their chests during evolution.

Class: 7

Keywords: gorilla, orangutan, semi-primates, great apes , chimpanzee

Educational: introduce students to the diversity of primates; identify their characteristic features, signs of high organization compared to other animals.

Educational:

logical thinking

Educational

careful attitude

Lesson type: explanation of new material.

Type of lesson: computer.

Forms of work: individual, frontal, didactic games.

Equipment: textbook, computer, computer slides, screen, projector, videos, cards with test tasks, cards with crossword questions, drawings of bananas.

Lesson plan.

I. Organizational moment. Greetings. Recording of absentees. Checking preparedness for the lesson .
II. Updating knowledge(Oral answer to questions on the topic “Artiodactyls, odd-toed ungulates”).
.
1. General characteristics of the Primate order.
2. Characteristics of the suborders of Primates.
3. Production conditioned reflexes in Apes.
4. Comparison of humans and apes.
5. The importance of primates in nature.
6. Primates listed in the Red Book.
IV. Consolidation of knowledge.
1. Solving a crossword puzzle.
2. Testing.
3. Task (name associations to the concept of primacy).
V. Homework.
VI. Bottom line.

During the classes

I. Organizational moment. Greetings. Recording of absentees. Checking preparedness for the lesson .

II. Updating knowledge.

Teacher. In previous lessons, we learned about different orders of mammals and identified their distinctive and similar features. Now we will repeat the materials from the previous lesson (Oral answer to questions ) (Presentation. Slide 2).

1) What animals belong to the order Perissodactyls and what unites them?
2) What was the role of the horse for humans 100–200 years ago?
3) What is the role of the horse in human life at the present stage?
4) Which animals are classified as artiodactyl non-ruminants?
5) What animals are artiodactyl ruminants?
6) What is the role of ungulates in nature?
7) What is the importance of ungulates in human life?

Teacher. Today we will complete the study of the large topic “Class Mammals”. The last, and most important order in the Mammals class that we will study is the order Primates. (Slide 1)

(Familiarization with the lesson plan.) (Slide 3)

III. Learning new material.

Teacher. The term “primates,” meaning “one of the first,” was first proposed in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, combining apes and humans into the order Primates. (Slide 4)

Primates are tropical inhabitants: most of them live in dense forests. All other arboreal animals cling with sharp claws when climbing. In contrast, primates grasp a branch with long, well-developed fingers. On the fore and hind limbs of primates, the first (thumb) finger can be opposed to the rest. This allows the animal to hold firmly on branches and grasp the smallest objects with its fingers. Instead of claws, monkeys have flat nails on their fingers. The limbs are very mobile. They serve not only for movement - they are used by animals to grab food, clean and comb hair on any part of the body.

Monkeys have excellent hearing and acute vision. Their eyes are not located on the sides of the head, like most other animals, but are directed forward. They see the same object with both eyes at the same time, thanks to which they accurately determine the distance to it. This feature of vision is of great importance when jumping from branch to branch.

Monkeys are good at distinguishing shape and color; already from a distance they detect ripe fruits and edible insects. They feed on both plant and animal foods, but still prefer juicy fruits. Primate cubs are born sighted, but unable to move independently. He clings tightly to the fur of his mother, who carries him with her, holding him with one hand.

Monkeys are different from other mammals large sizes the brain, the cerebral hemispheres of which have many convolutions. Their sense of smell is poorly developed and there are no tactile hairs. Their main organs of touch are their fingers, as well as the bare palms and soles of the feet.

Monkeys are active during the day. They live in herds, with a strong male at the head of the herd, and the remaining males, females and growing cubs occupy a subordinate position and fulfill his demands, transmitted through sound signals and gestures.

The order Primates is divided into two suborders: the Lower Apes, or Prosimians, and the Greater Apes, or Monkeys. (Slide 5)

Teacher. The suborder of semi-monkeys includes lemurs, tarsiers, and tupai. The animals are small, covered with thick fur. The tail is long and bushy. Not everyone’s thumb is opposed to the rest; the phalanges of the fingers are equipped with claws. Representatives – slender loris, lemur wari, rukopozka, poppies, tupai - are among the most primitive insectivorous prosimians. Distributed in South-East Asia, Indonesia, Madagascar. (Slide 6)

Student reports about representatives of the suborder Prosimians.

1st student: Tarsiers live on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, Byangka and Belitung, in Indonesia and the Philippines. The eyes weigh more than the brain. Tail 135–275 cm. Weight 100g. They hunt scorpions and poisonous snakes. They love newborn mice, sparrows, and beetles.

They do not synthesize vitamin C. The lower teeth are directed not forward, but upward. The second and third toes are claws. Limbs are bare. Able to turn head 180ºÑ (Slide 7).
The most primitive of the prosimians are the tupai, small, squirrel-like animals that live in the forests of South Asia. Their fingers do not have nails, but also claws, and the thumb cannot resist the others. There are 38 teeth, the brain is smooth, without grooves or convolutions.

The lemurs that inhabit Madagascar thumbs They can resist others, with nails on all toes, except for the second toe, armed with a “toilet” claw - a scratcher.

Fox muzzle, 36 teeth. These are nocturnal animals tropical forests feeding on fruits, insects, bird eggs and chicks. Now they are disappearing along with the forests.” (Slide 8–9)

2nd student: “Representatives of Loriids live in Africa and South Asia. Laurie means “clown” in Dutch. Dimensions 12–40 cm. They live in South and Southeast Asia and Africa. There are thin and thick loris, potto.
The slender loris lives in India and Sri Lanka. Chipmunk size: 25 cm and 7 mm tail. Weighing 280 g. The second finger of the hand is reduced. Nocturnal lifestyle. They look like miniature big-eyed bear cubs.” (V/f “Team Primates”.)

Teacher. The suborder Great Apes includes broad-nosed, narrow-nosed and great apes. (Slide 10) Apes are divided into the lower apes and the great apes. This suborder includes primates of various sizes. The height of the smallest, for example marmosets, is 20–35 cm, and the largest - up to 2 m. Marmosets still have claw-shaped nails, the thumb is not opposed to the other and the hemispheres of the brain are smooth. The tail is “squirrel”, not grasping. In other primates, the nails are wide, and the vibrissae on the facial part have disappeared.

The brain has many convolutions and is well developed. 139 species are known. Humans also belong to this suborder.

These monkeys and humans had common ancestors, then their development took different paths. Today, despite a large number of common features in structure, the differences are quite significant.

Student reports about representatives of the suborder Greater Primates.

3rd student: “ The most primitive monkeys are grouped into the broad-nosed superfamily. Their cartilaginous nasal septum is wide and the nostrils are directed forward. They live in South and Central America.

This suborder includes marmosets, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys. (Slide 11)

Marmosets are inhabitants of tropical America. Pygmy marmoset lives in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. The size of a squirrel, weighing 355 g. It has 32 teeth. The fingers end in claws. Moves freely in any position, even upside down. A rich mane is an indicator of good health and good nutrition. Hepatitis, leukemia, organ transplantation, and immunity are studied on marmosets.
The howler monkey lives from Colombia to the mouth of the Amazon, south to Bolivia. Herbivorous.

Arachnids (koata) live in South America. They have a tenacious tail, which curls around a branch and acts as a fifth limb; it is bare at the end, equipped with a leather comb - this is an organ of touch.”

4th student: “ In narrow-nosed monkeys, the facial part of the skull protrudes forward, the tail is long or short, but is never prehensile. There are usually cheek pouches and ischial calluses - bare areas of skin in the area of the ischial muscles . There are 32 teeth, the upper canines are large, the brain is well developed (weighing up to 150 g). Of the monkeys, the most famous are macaques. They often descend to the ground. The rhesus macaque is a well-known experimental animal for medicine. (Slides 12–14)

Hamadryas, mandrills and anubises are large, up to 25 kg baboons of Africa . (Slide 15)

Hamadryad. Males are 80 cm long, tail length 60 cm. Weight 30 kg. Females are half the size. The coat is gray, in males it forms a lush silver-gray mantle. Females are grayish-brown. There are cheek pouches. Found in Africa and Asia. They live up to 30 years. Listed in the Red Book (Slide 16).(V\f “Hamadryas”.)
Mandrill lives in Cameroon, Africa. It has the richest and most vibrant colors in the ape world.” . (Slide 17)

Proboscis monkeys are medium-sized monkeys, but among small monkeys they seem like giants. The body length is 55–72 cm; proboscis monkeys have a very long tail, which is almost equal to the body length (66–75 cm). Weight ranges from 12 to 24 kg, and males, with the same body length, weigh almost twice as much as females. The main external feature of these monkeys is their amazing nose, which you will not find on any other animal. The fur of these monkeys is short and flat.

Proboscis monkeys are narrowly endemic, meaning they are found in a limited area. They live only on the island. Borneo (Kalimantan) of the Malay Archipelago and nowhere else in the world. They are active mainly during the day, most of the time they stay in the crowns of trees, and rarely come down to the ground. (Slide 18)(In /f “Proboscis Monkey.”)

Teacher. The lower apes include gibbons and orangutans. Gibbons live in the forests of Southeast Asia. They are small and retain the ischial calluses. (Slide 19)

Orangutans are large, males weigh up to 189 kg, and are covered with bright red fur. They rarely descend to the ground, live in trees, feed on fruits, leaves, and young shoots (Slide 20).

Higher apes (the most developed) have a large brain (up to 600 g), no tail, cheek pouches or ischial calluses. The gorilla and chimpanzee that are closest to humans live in equatorial Africa. .

Student reports about great apes.

5th student: “ The largest of the apes is the gorilla (up to 250 kg), a powerful but very peaceful monkey of the tropical rainforests. Gorillas are strict vegetarians. The body is covered with thick short black hair. (Slide 21)

On the ground, the gorilla moves bent over, leaning on the back of the fingers of the forelimb. Found in equatorial Africa. Feeds on juicy fruits, nuts, and roots.” (V/f “Gorilla”.)

6th student: “A chimpanzee is a large ape , up to 150 cm high, weighing 45–50 kg. Arms are longer than legs. The ears are shaped like human ones, the fur is dark, the face is hairless . (Slide 22)

Chimpanzee body temperature is 37.2ºС. Currently, it is the most numerous species of all great apes. The number of individuals living in the wild is estimated at several tens of thousands. Groups consist of 5–30 individuals, led by the strongest male. Most of the day is spent mutually grooming and searching for food. Their diet consists of fruits. Sometimes they eat ants and termites. Chimpanzees, regardless of age, expressively demonstrate their mood. He sticks out his tongue, sucks his finger, and chews on various objects. They are upset, they cry, they rejoice. Chimpanzees spend most of the day in the trees.

There are two types: the common chimpanzee and the pygmy chimpanzee. . The pygmy chimpanzee is listed in the Red Book . (Slide 23) Both species live in Central Africa. The blood of bonobos of the corresponding group can be transfused into humans.” (V/f “Chimpanzee”.)

Teacher. The active life and variety of functions of the forelimbs allowed the brain to develop strongly in primates, and this led to a reduction in the facial part of the skull.

The entire hand-eye-brain complex is a prerequisite for complex behavior associated with the use of various objects to achieve life goals.

Monkeys stack boxes to reach a hanging banana; crush the leaves with their hands and use this sponge to extract rainwater from the hole in the tree; using a pole to cross a body of water; grass cleanses the body of dirt; Having cleaned the stick, they pick their teeth with it; use the leaves to make a cone to drink. (V/f “The Rational Activity of a Monkey.”)

Student reports about the similarities between great apes and humans.

7th student: “ Greater apes have the same blood types as humans and suffer from the same infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and influenza.

The structure of the body is very similar to that of a human, but there are also differences. The human pelvis is adapted to walking upright, but the monkey cannot move while in an upright position.

Biological sciences study the human body. We must not forget that man has emerged from the animal world and is a social being, the distinctive feature of which is consciousness, which arose on the basis of social and labor activity. A person becomes a person only in a society where he develops and lives.”

Teacher. Primates in nature play a huge role practical significance. They distribute plant seeds and control plant growth and development. They enrich the soil with organic fertilizers and enter the food chain.

Most apes are listed in the International Red Book. Their numbers are decreasing due to fires in forests and human carelessness towards them. (Slide 24–27).

All living beings are born in order to live. You cannot offend animals and pick plants unnecessarily; do not pollute nature, protect its wealth. If nature becomes impoverished, all living things will disappear. For them, the world should be clean. Man is part of nature, which means he too will disappear from the face of the earth. We came into this world to live and do great things.

It is important to protect nature, because we have to pass this world on to our children, who must see it the way we see it. Let's all accomplish this task together!

Man is the crown of nature, her beloved child. And he will never be able to rise above her, because he will always feel the need to communicate with her in order to remain Human .

Physical education minute.(Slide 28)

We are funny monkeys
We play too loud.
We all stomp our feet,
We all clap our hands,
Puff out our cheeks
Let's jump on our toes.
Let's jump to the ceiling together
Put your finger to your temple
And even to each other
Let's show our tongues!
Let's open our mouths wider,
We'll make all the faces.
How can I say word three?
Everyone freeze with grimaces.
One two Three!

IV. Consolidation of knowledge.

1. Solving a crossword puzzle. (Slide 29)

1) The most primitive insectivorous prosimian (tupaya).
2) The largest representative of apes (gorilla).
3) Representative of narrow-nosed monkeys (baboons).
4) What class do primates belong to? (Mammals).
5) (The shape of the ears resembles those of humans (chimpanzees).
6) They have the largest body mass among higher primates (orangutan).
7) Representative of narrow-nosed monkeys (monkey).

2. Execution test tasks. (Slide 30)

1) Which sense organ is poorly developed in primates?

A – vision, B – hearing, C – smell .

2) The total number of species is about:

A – 150, B – 200, C – 260, d – 300.

3) The development of which part of the brain is associated with the formation of conditioned reflexes?

A - cerebellum,
B – cerebral cortex ,
B – medulla oblongata,
G – diencephalon.

4) Higher primates are the most highly organized animals, since:

A - they live in herds,
B – can move quickly,
B – have a highly developed brain,
D – capable of using simple tools

5) The smallest representative of the suborder of Great Apes:

A - marmoset,
B – mandrill,
B – macaque,
G – howler.

(They check the correctness of the answers on the computer and explain.) (Slide 31)

3. Name the associations to the concept of primacy. Associations can be a word, expression, or a whole sentence starting with a specific letter . (Slide 32)

P R I M A T

V. Homework. Study paragraph 35, complete the tasks in the workbook, answer 1–3 questions. (Slide 33)

Teacher. In this lesson we got acquainted with a group of primates, their representatives and characteristic features. Everyone was active during the lesson, well done! Now count your bananas, who has more bananas? (Grades are based on the number of bananas.) The teacher comments on the students’ grades.

I wish you success in your studies. Grow up to be polite, smart, diligent, educated people! Wherever, whoever you are, remain real people! (Slide 34) In conclusion, I would like to read S. V. Mikhalkov’s poem “Be a Man”:

There are goosebumps in the forest
They live by their labor
They have their own customs
And the anthill is home.
Peace-loving residents
They don't sit idle:
In the morning, soldiers are running to the post,
And nannies in kindergarten.
Worker ant is in a hurry
The labor path,
It rustles from morning to evening
In the grass and under leaves.
You were walking through the forest with a stick
And the ant house
Jokingly, I dug to the bottom
And then he set it on fire.
Peace and work big family
Trouble broke it.
Ants were rushing about in the smoke,
Fleeing in all directions.
The needles crackled. Quietly smoldering
Dry, fallen leaf.
Calmly looking down from above
Cruel egoist...
For calling you that,
I don't blame myself,
After all, you didn’t create it,
Which he set on fire.
Do you live in our atomic age?
And he himself is an ant,
Be a man, man,
You are on your own land!

The primate order is divided into two suborders and 16 families:

Suborder Wet-nosed ( Strepsirrhini) includes the following families:

Dwarf lemurs ( Cheirogalidae);
Lemuridae ( Lemuridae);
Lepilemurs ( Lepilemuridae);
Indriaceae ( Indridae);
Hand-footed ( Daubentoniidae);
Loriaceae ( Loridae);
Galagadae ( Galagonidae).

Suborder Dry-nosed ( Haplorrhini) consists of the following families:

Tarsier ( Tarsiidae);
Marmosets ( Callitrichidae);
Grain-tailed monkeys ( Cebidae);
Night Monkeys ( Aotidae);
Sakova ( Pitheciidae);
Spider monkeys ( Atelidae);
Monkeys ( Cercopithecidae);
Gibbons ( Hylobatidae);
Hominids ( Hominidae).

Evolution

Fossils of early primates date from the Early (56 to 40 million years ago) or possibly Late Paleocene (59 to 56 million years ago) epochs. Although they are an ancient group, and many (especially broad-nosed monkeys, or New World monkeys) remained entirely arboreal, others became at least partially terrestrial, and reached high level intelligence. There is no doubt that this particular detachment includes some of the.

Lifespan

Although humans are the longest-living primates, the potential lifespan of chimpanzees is estimated at 60 years, and orangutans sometimes reach this age in captivity. On the other hand, the lifespan of lemurs is about 15 years, and monkeys are 25-30 years.

Description

Roxellanov's rhinopithecus

Despite the marked differences between primate families, they have several anatomical and functional characteristics, reflecting them general squad. Relative to body weight, the primate brain is larger than that of other mammals and has a unique spur-like groove that separates the first and second visual areas on each side of the brain. While all other mammals have claws or hooves on their toes, primates have flat nails. Some primates have claws, but the big toe still has a flat nail.

Not all primates have equally dexterous hands; only monkeys (marmosets and hominids, including humans) and some lemurs and lorises have an opposable thumb. Primates aren't the only animals that grab various items limbs. But since this characteristic is found in many other arboreal mammals (such as squirrels and opossums), and since most modern primates lead an arboreal lifestyle, it is assumed that they evolved from an ancestor who was arboreal.

Primates also have specialized nerve endings on their limbs that increase tactile sensitivity. As far as is known, no other placental mammal has them. Primates have fingerprints, but so do many other arboreal mammals.

Primates have binocular vision, although this feature is by no means limited to primates, but it is general characteristics, observed among . Therefore, it has been proposed that the ancestor of primates was a predator.

Primate teeth differ from those of other mammals, with low, rounded molar and premolar teeth that contrast with the long, sharp teeth of other placental mammals. This difference makes it easy to recognize primate teeth.

Size

Members of the primate order exhibit a range of size and adaptive diversity. The smallest primate is the mouse lemur ( Microcebus berthae), which weighs about 35-50 grams; The most massive primate is, of course, the gorilla ( Gorilla), whose weight varies from 140 to 180 kg, which is almost 4000 times the weight of the mouse lemur.

Geographical range and habitat

Primates occupy two main vegetation zones: And . Each of these zones created corresponding adaptations in primates, but among tree species, perhaps more diversity of bodily forms than among the inhabitants of the savannah. Arboreal primates have many of the characteristics that likely evolved as adaptations to life in the trees. Several species, including our own, have left trees and become terrestrial.

Non-human primates are widespread in all tropical latitudes, India, Southeast and. In Ethiopia, Gelada (genus Theropithecus) is found at altitudes up to 5000 meters. The gorillas of the Virunga Mountains are known to pass through mountain passes at altitudes of over 4,200 meters. Red Howlers ( Alouatta seniculus) Venezuelans live at an altitude of 2500 meters in the mountains of the Cordillera de Mérida, and in northern Colombia the Mirikins (genus Aotus) are found in the tropical montane forests of the Central Cordillera.

The gestation period varies among primate species. For example, mouse lemurs have a gestation period of 54-68 days, lemurs 132-134 days, macaques 146-186 days, gibbons 210 days, chimpanzees 230 days, gorillas 255 days and humans (on average) 267 days. Even in small primates, the gestation period is significantly longer than in other mammals of equivalent size, reflecting the complexity of primates. Although there is a general evolutionary tendency for primates to increase body size, there is no absolute correlation between body size and the length of the gestation period.

The degrees of puberty and maternal dependence at birth are obviously closely related. Newborn primates are not as helpless as kittens, puppies or rats. With a few exceptions, a young primate is born with with open eyes and wool. The cubs must be able to cling to their mother's fur; only a few species leave their babies in shelters while feeding. The cubs of the highest primates are able to cling to their mother's fur without outside help; however, humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas must support their newborns, and humans do so the longest.

Once the primate infant has learned to support itself by standing on its own two (or four) legs, the physical dependency phase is over; the next stage, psychological dependence, lasts much longer. The human child is attached to its mother for a much longer time than the non-human primate. The teenage period of psychological maternal dependence is 2.5 years in lemurs, 6 years in monkeys, 7-8 years in most hominoids and 14 years in humans.

Behavior

Primates are among the most social animals, forming pairs or family groups. On social systems influenced by three main environmental factors: distribution, group size and predation. Within a social group there is a balance between cooperation and competition. Cooperative behavior includes social care, food sharing and collective defense against predators. Aggressive behavior often signals competition for food, bedding or mates. Aggression is also used to establish dominance hierarchies.

It is known that several species of primates can cooperate in wildlife. For example, in national park In Africa, several species coordinate behavior to protect themselves from predators. These include Diana's marmoset, Campbell's marmoset, small white-nosed marmoset, red colobus, royal colobus, and smoky mangabey. Among the predators of these monkeys is the common chimpanzee.

Primates have developed cognitive abilities: some make tools and use them for food and for social display; others have complex hunting strategies that require cooperation, influence, and primacy; they are status conscious, manipulative and capable of deception; these animals can learn to use symbols and understand human language.

Some primates rely on olfactory cues for many aspects of social and reproductive behavior. Specialized glands are used to mark territories with pheromones, which are picked up by the vomeronasal organ. Primates also use vocalizations, gestures, and emotions to convey psychological states. Like humans, chimpanzees can distinguish between the faces of familiar and unfamiliar people.

Primate conservation

Although many primates are still abundant in the wild, populations of many species are in steep decline. According to International Union Conservation Authority (IUCN), more than 70% of primates in Asia and approximately 40% of primates in South America, mainland Africa and the island of Madagascar are listed as critically endangered. A number of species, especially the gorilla, some of Madagascar lemurs and some species from South America, are at serious risk of extinction as their habitats are destroyed and poaching is widespread.

However, the numbers of some endangered species have increased. Concerted captive breeding efforts have been successful, and reintroduction into the wild is also practiced in Brazil.

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