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5.2: Primate Classification

  • Page ID
    258628
    • Beth Shook

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    Primate Classification

    image of primate post-orbital closures
    Side and top views of postorbital closures and bars.

    Author: Beth Shook

    Modified from labs by Henry M. McHenry, University of California, Davis

    Time needed: 50-60 minutes

    Primate Classification Worksheet

    Introduction

    People belong to the zoological order Primates, which is one of the many orders within the class Mammalia. This lab provides the opportunity to observe characteristics of the skeleton that differentiate primates from other mammals, and compare primates to each other.

    Before beginning, consider the following: What can bones tell us about the animal to which they belonged? Specifically, what might the skeleton tell us about:

    • what the animal ate?
    • its mode of locomotion?
    • the kind of environment it lived in?
    • its behavior?

    Bones can reflect the lifestyle of primates, and the characteristics they share are likely reflective of early primate ancestors. For example, most primates move about in trees by grasping with their feet and hands. Primatologists believe the common ancestor of all living primates was an arboreal climber with prehensile extremities, who relied on vision more than olfaction (smell). This ancestor may have had some depth perception made possible by the overlapping visual fields of forward-facing eyes, and hands with the ability to manipulate objects. Thus, physical traits that help us distinguish primates from other mammals include:

    • a generalized skeletal structure for arboreal life;
    • convergent eyes (forward-facing);
    • eye orbits with a postorbital bar or plate;
    • reduced snout length (related to less reliance on smell);
    • opposable thumbs and big toes;
    • flattened nails instead of, or in addition to, claws;
    • larger brain size
    • differences in tooth morphology (reflects variable diets);
    • and prehensile (grasping) hands and feet.

    Station 1: Primate Versus Non-Primate Postcrania

    Look at the skeletons or skeletal images provided. Note how the postcrania (body) of primates and non-primates differ. Carefully examine the vertebral column (backbone), the structure of the shoulder and pelvis, the shape of the rib cage, and the hands and feet. Think about what you already know about their locomotion and behavior for clues about how they move and the differences you may see on their skeleton. Record general observations in the table below.

    Primate vs. non-primate postcrania
    Non-Primate Primates
    Primate vs. non-primate notes

    Non- Primate

    Primates

    Hands and feet    
    Claws or nails    
    Vertebral column and rib cage    
    Clavicle    
    Pelvis    

    How do the above characteristics suggest the locomotion and posture of primates differ from non-primates?

    Station 2: Non-Primate and Primate Teeth and Skulls

    Mammals typically have four different kinds of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Examine the teeth of the primates (monkey and human) and non-primates (cow or pig and dog). While they all have a mixture of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, what differences do you see between the species? (Number of teeth? Shape? Cusp pattern?) What might these features tell us about their function?

    Non-primate and primate teeth
    Non-Primates
    Whitetail Deer
    Primates  
    Non-primates and primates notes
    Non-Primates Primates
      Whitetail Deer Dog Colobus Monkey Human
    Distinguishing features of the teeth        
    Describe the tooth row shape        
    Probable diet        

    The orbit is the bony structure that protects the eye. All living primates have a complete bony ring around the eye, but the orbit can be either open (postorbital bar) or closed (postorbital plate) in the back. Examine the orbits and their orientation. What differences do you see? Look at the foramen magnum: What does this tell you about the typical posture of the animal? Finally, look at the nasal region. Does this tell you about what senses they use most?

    Non-primate and primate skulls
    Non-Primates
    Primates  
    Non-primate and primate skull notes
    Non-Primates Primates
      Jackrabbit Dog Squirrel Monkey Human
    Eye orbit structure and orientation        
    Foramen magnum position        
    Size and complexity of nasal region        
    Rely more on vision or smell?        

    Station 3: Primate Suborders: Strepsirrhini and Haplorrhini

    截屏2022-04-15 下午9.39.06.png

    Most modern strepsirrhines live on the island of Madagascar (lemurs), but a few stalk the night forests of Africa (galagos) and Asia (lorises). Our own suborder (haplorrhines) live in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It is easy to talk about ourselves as if we are higher, grander, further up the scale, etc., but evolution results from adaptation to the immediate environment without a predetermined direction. So don't be specio-centric! After all, Loris tardigradus (a strepsirrhine) is much cuter than Cacajao rubicundus (a haplorrhine)!

    Strepsirrhini and haplorrhini
    Nails or claws? Which digits? Claw on second digit, nails on others Nails only
    Postorbital bar or plate?    
    Orientation of eye orbits (forward or toward the side)    
    Snout length relative to brain size    
    Presence or absence of tooth comb    
    Geographic location (read intro above)    

    Station 4: Tarsiers

    截屏2022-04-15 下午9.40.59.png

    For some time, tarsiers challenged primatologists with regard to their classification: Were they closer to monkeys, apes, and humans or closer to lemurs and lorises? Genetic evidence has now provided strong support for the classification of tarsiers as haplorrhines, but their ancestors likely split off early, before the division of different types of monkeys and apes. Examine the tarsiers—what traits may have been confusing to primatologists because they are similar to lemurs and lorises or are unique to the tarsier?

    Tarsier
    Tarsier
    Is this trait more like strepsirrhines or haplorrhines, or is it unique?
    Nails or claws? Which digits? Grooming claw, and nails on other digits  
    Postorbital bar or plate?    
    Orientation of eye orbits (forward or toward the side)    
    Snout length relative to brain size    
    Presence or absence of tooth comb    
    Geographic location Asia N/A

    Station 5: New World Monkeys

    截屏2022-04-15 下午9.42.44.png

    Anthropoids are divided into two infraorders: Catarrhini (Old World monkeys, apes, and

    humans, all who live in Africa and Asia) and Platyrrhini (New World monkeys who live in Mexico, Central, and South America). The word "monkey" is confusing because monkeys in the Americas are not closely related to Old World monkeys (Old World monkeys are, in fact, more closely related to people!)

    Platyrrhini and catarrhini
    Meaning of scientific name

    “Broad-nosed”

    (separated by wide nasal septum)

    “Hook-nosed”

    (nostrils are close together)

    Direction nostrils face    
    Dental formula    

    Geographic location

    (read intro above)

       

    Questions:

    Some New World monkeys (Atelinae) have prehensile tails. Look up the name of one monkey that has a prehensile tail: ___________________________________________

    One group of New World monkeys, Callitrichidae (marmosets and tamarins), have re-evolved claws on all but one digit. Which digit? (Do some research to find out!) ______________________________________________________

    There is one group of New World monkeys who have a reduced or absent thumb. What type of monkey is this? _______________________________

    Station 6: Old World Monkeys and Hominoids

    截屏2022-04-15 下午9.43.42.png

    Old world monkeys and hominoids
    Cercopithecoid Hominoids
         
    Old world monkeys and apes
    Old World Monkey- Rhesus Macaque Ape- Gorilla Human
    Shape of rib cage      
    Length of forelimb (arm) relative to trunk      
    Length of clavicle and location of scapula      
    Presence or absence of tail      

    The differences between the monkey skeletons and the hominoids may be because the common ancestor of apes and people was adapted for suspending the body by the arms and brachiating. The forelimbs are long, the shoulders are flexible, the elbows and wrists allow greater rotation, the chest is wide for the attachment of expanded forelimb retractor muscles, and the lower back is short. Cercopithecoids, on the other hand, are adapted to quadrupedalism, like most mammals. The bilophodont molar is their specialization for eating a wide variety of foods.

    Station 7: Putting It All Together

    Using what you have learned at Stations 3 through 6, construct the complete tree for the Primates order. Put primates at the top, divide them into strepsirrhines and haplorrhines, and then work your way down, dividing them into subgroups as you go. Then, for each group on the tree identify at least one trait that helps distinguish that group and one species that is an example of each divison.

    For Further Exploration

    David Attenborough. 2003. “Episode 9: The Social Climbers.” The Life of Mammals (Film) eSkeletons. Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin.

    2011. Primates—What is a Primate? Odyssey Earth.

    Rothman, Jessica (editor). 2014. The Living Primates. The Nature Education Knowledge Project.

    Rowe, Noel. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to Living Primates. Charlestown: Pogonias Press.

    References

    Etting, Stephanie. 2019. “Chapter 5: Meet the Living Primates.” In Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology, edited by Beth Shook, Katie Nelson, Kelsie Aguilera, and Lara Braff. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association.

    Image Attributions

    Postorbital bar/Postorbital closure, a derivative work original to Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology, by Stephanie Etting, is under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License. [Includes Otolemur crassicaudatus (greater galago), by Animal Diversity Web, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Macaca fascicularis (long-tailed macaque), by Animal Diversity Web, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.]


    This page titled 5.2: Primate Classification is shared under a CC BY 1.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Beth Shook via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.