PRIMATES AND ITS

CLASSIFICATION
BY NEHA CHAUHAN

WHAT IS A PRIMATES

First, primates are mammals of the vertebrate
class: mammalian.
+ 4000 mammals
Primates are part of the subgroups of
placental mammals.

WHAT ARE PRIMATES

Primates are difficult to characterize as an
order.
Because they lack the strong specializations.
Found in most other mammalian orders.
we can, however , point to several trends.
In their evolution that help define primates.
And are related to their arboreal.
Or tree- dwelling , ancestry.
TRENDS IN PRIMATES

These include changes in the
skeleton
mode of locomotion,
an inc. in brain size,
a shift toward smaller, fewer,
and less specialized teeth ,
and the evolution of stereoscopic vision
and a grasping hand with opposable thumb
Not all these trends took place in every primate group,
Nor did they evolve at the same rate in each group.
VARIATIONS
In fact , some primates
Have retained certain primitive features,
Whereas others show all
Or most of these trends
CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIMATES
.Difficult to define by one or two common traits
.Primates are generalized ( rather than
specialized ) mammals
.Defined by evolutionary trends
.Not all traits found in every member of the
order.
1. LIMBS AND LOCOMOTION
Tendency towards erect posture
But, primates utilize a number of types of
locomotion
Bipedal
Brachiation
Knuckle walkers
Fist walkers
Limb jumpers, etc.

HANDS AND FEET
Great degree of Prehensility
Five digits on hands/feet (contra horses)
Opposable thumb
In most- divergent & partially opposable big
toe
Nails on all or some digits
Highly sensitive tactile pads on digit ends
2. DIET AND TEETH
Lack of dietary specialization most primates
are generalized feeders eating a wide variety
of foods
Therefore, primates have a generalized
dentition

3. SENSES AND BRAIN
Vision enhanced
Olfaction reduced
Complex brain

4. MATURATION AND LEARNING
As placental mammals, primates have
relatively long gestation periods
Also have few offspring, delayed maturation,
longer lifespan than other mammals
Greater dependence on learned behavior

5. BEHAVIORS
Tend to be diurnal
Increased flexibility in behavior
Tend to live in social groups
In many primate social groups, males are
permanent members unusual among
mammals.
CLASSIFICATION OF PRIMATES
The primate order is divided into two
suborders
The prosimians , lower primates,
Include the lemurs , lorises, tarsiers, and tree
shrews,
While the anthropoids or higher primates
Include monkeys , apes, and humans

Order primates:
Suborder prosimii: ( lower primates) lemurs, lorises,
tarsiers , tree shrews
Suborder anthropoidea ( higher primates)
Monkeys, apes, humans
Superfamily Superfamily Cercopithecoidea: Macaque, baboon,
proboscis monkey (Old World monkeys)
Superfamily Ceboidea: Howler, spider, and squirrel monkeys (New
World monkeys)
Superfamily Hominoidea: Apes, humans
Family Pongidae: Chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas
Family Hylobatidae: Gibbons, siamangs
Family Hominidae: Humans

ORDER PRIMATE

Primates differ from other mammals mainly in
negative features, rendering more exact
definition difficult and controversial. (Hill,
1972:1)
Presence of clavicle
Fully encircled eye orbit,
Three types of teeth
At least one pair of opposable digits
Nails instead of claws
Well developed caecum
Scrotal testes

TWO SUBORDERS

What do you think rhine refers to?
Rhino
Rhinoplasty
Old system
Prosimians
Anthropoids

Order Primate
Sub order
Strepsirrhini
Strepsirhines
Suborder
Haplorhini
Haplorhine
PROSIMIANS
Prosimians are generally small,
ranging from species the size of a mouse
up to those as large as a house cat
They are arboreal, have five digits
on each hand and foot
with either claws or nails,
and are typically omnivorous
They have large, forwardly directed eyes
specialized for night vision,
hence most are nocturnal

PROSIMIANS
As their name implies
pro means "before," and simian means "ape,
prosimians are the oldest primate lineage,
and their fossil record extends back to the
Paleocene
During the Eocene prosimians were
abundant, diversified, and widespread
in North America, Europe, and Asia
Prosimians: LORIS
Prosimians: LEMURS
Prosimians: TARSIERS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS: MANDRIL,
SNOW MONKEYS
OLD WORLD MONKEYS:
BABOONS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS: SPIDER
MONKEYS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS: SQUIRREL
MONKEY
ANTHROPOIDS
Anthropoids evolved from a prosimian lineage
sometime during the Late Eocene,
and by the Oligocene
they were well established
Anthropoids are divided into three super
families.
Early History of Anthropoids
Much of our knowledge about
the early evolutionary history of anthropoids
comes from fossils found in the Fayum district,
a small desert area southwest of Cairo, Egypt
During the Late Eocene and Oligocene,
this region of Africa was a lush, tropical rain forest
that supported a diverse and abundant fauna and
flora
Within this forest lived many different
arboreal anthropoids as well as various prosimians
GREAT APES
The third superfamily is the great apes,
which include gorillas and...
Chimpanzees
Thousands of Fossil Specimens
In fact, several thousand fossil specimens
representing more than 20 species of primates
have been recovered from rocks of this region
One of the earliest anthropoids,
and a possible ancestor of the Old World monkeys,
was Aegyptopithecus,
a small, fruit-eating, arboreal primate, about 5 kg
It had monkey characteristics and ape features
and is the closest link we currently have
to Old World primates

One of the Earliest Anthropoids
Skull of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis
THANK YOU!