Primate taxa

?

Atelidae

  • Platyrrhini
  • Howler, Spider, Murquis, woolly monkeys
  • Mexico to Argentina
  • Pre-hensile tail
  • Arboreal and Diurnal
  • Live in dense rainforest
  • multi male multi female groups
  • males are philopatric (except howlers where M and F disperse)
  • frugivorous
1 of 36

Cebidae

  • Capuchins, Squirrel monkeys
  • Central and South America
  • Omnivorous: fruits and insects
  • Arboreal 
  • multi male, multi female groups 
  • may be seasonal or may breed throughout the year
2 of 36

Calltrichidae

  • Marmosets and Tamarins
  • Smallest simian primates 
  • Arboreal 
  • Omnivorous: insects, fruit and gum 
  • twinning
  • cooperative breeding: carrying of offspring, feeding offspring once weaned 
  • multi-male, multi-females groups
  • predators: raptors, arboreal snakes and arboreal felids 
3 of 36

Aotidae

  • Owl monkeys
  • Panama, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina
  • Nocturnal 
  • No tapetum lucidum 
  • Arboreal
  • Frugivorous and some insects, leaves, nectar and flowers
  • Predators: raptors, arboreal felids, arboeal snakes 
  • Monogamy
  • Paternal invetsment 
4 of 36

Pitheciidae

  • Titis, Sakis, Ukari monkeys
  • South America
  • Wide variety of forest habitats
  • Highly arboreal
  • eat large or hard fruits (difficult to get fruit pulp)
  • Predators: Diurnal raptors
  • Titis= monogamous 
  • Sakis and Ukaris live in multi-male, multi-female groups
  • generally seasonal breeders
5 of 36

Cercopithecidae

  • Old world monkeys
  • Africa and Asia
  • Tropical forest and Savannah
  • Most are partially omnivorous
  • Generally prefer plant matter 
  • Some inhabit cold regions
  • Two groups: Cercopethecines and colobines
6 of 36

Cercopethecines

  • Old world monkeys
  • baboons, macaques and mangabeys
  • Cheek pouches, simple stomachs 
  • Dental formula: 2123
7 of 36

Colobines

  • Old world monkeys 
  • folivorous, lack cheep pouches but have highly complex stomachs
  • colobus, leaf monkeys and relatives 
8 of 36

Catarrhines

  • Old world monkeys and apes
  • Downward nostril, nostrils close together 
9 of 36

Mandrillus

  • (Man)drill
  • live in the rainforest in the absence of baboons
  • Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Congo
  • Omnivorous: fruits and insects
  • Predators: leopards, crowned eagles, African rock pythons
  • Mostly terrestrial but more arboreal than baboons
  • Diurnal 
  • Females mate with dominant male that has brightest red signalling on face
  • multi male multi female
10 of 36

Colobus

  • Thumb is a stump
  • Herbivorous: leaves, fruit, flowers, twigs
  • Range of forest habitats
  • Ruminant like digestive system (colobine)
  • Spend half the day resting, and a large amount of time feeding
  • Predators: Crowned hawk eagle, CHimpanzees 
11 of 36

Proboscis

  • large nosed monkey
  • Endemic to Borneo Is. 
  • Co-exits with Orangutans
  • Large
  • Seasonal Frugivore/foliovore 
  • Predators: Crocodiles, Clouded leopards, Eagles, Monitor lizards, pythons
  • Sexually dimorphic 
  • Swim 
  • predominantly arboreal, occasionally terrestrial 
  • One male, multi female groups
  • Groups can be very large and male can be dominant for 6-8 years
  • All male bands also form 
  • Groups can join together in large aggregations
12 of 36

Rhinopithecus

  • Snub nosed monkey 
  • Asia: Southern China, Vietnam, Myanmar
  • Diet: Tree needles, bamboo, fruits, leaves
  • colobinae so multi chambered stomach 
  • Predators: Dhole, wolf, Asiatic golden cat, leopard, golden eagle 
  • Sexually dimorphic
  • Semi-arboreal
  • One male, multi female groups = polygnous
13 of 36

Semonpithecus

  • e.g Semonpithecus entellus 
  • Terrestrial 
  • Forest and urban areas
  • Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, (poss) Afghanistan 
  • Diurnal 
  • Herbivorous
  • predators: Leopards, Dhole, Tigers, Wolves, 
  • Some multi-male, multi-female groups, some single one, multi-female
14 of 36

Hylobatidae

  • Smaller apes
  • Tropical and subtropical rainforest 
  • Eastern Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia 
  • Frugivores, twigs, leaves, insects, flowers, eggs
  • Predators: leopards, large snakes, birds of prey 
  • Serial monogamy, polyandry (25%), polygyny
  • Hylobates Lar studied by Ulrich and Sommer
15 of 36

Pongo

  • Borneo and Sumatra
  • Opportunistic foragers: fruits, leaves, shoots, bark, insects, eggs
  • Predators: Tigers, clouded leopards, Wild dogs, Crocodiles 
  • Dispersed polygyny 
  • Some sneaker males 
  • Birute Galdikas 
16 of 36

Macaca

  • Most widespread primate, but none in sub-Sahara Africa
  • Intricate social structure with overlapping generations
  • Frugivores, and seeds, leaves, flowers, bark 
  • Polygynandry
  • Male may attempt to monopolise though 
  • slight sexual dimorphism 
  • Some seasonality to breeding
17 of 36

Macaca Sylvanus

  • Barbary macque 
  • Atlas mountains of Algeria and Morocco
  • With an introduced population in Gibralta
  • Males are important for raising young 
  • No tail 
  • herbivorous and some insect eating 
  • Predators: Leopards, eagles, domestic dogs 
  • Sexual dimorphism 
  • Polygynandrous
  • Intense sperm competition
  • Seasonal breeding 
18 of 36

Macaca Fuscata

  • Japanese macaque
  • Most Northern living primate
  • Omnivorous 
  • Predators: mountain hawk eagle, feral dogs, racoon dogs 
  • Sexual dimorphism
  • Polygynandrous
  • Seasonal breeders
  • infanticide has been observed 
19 of 36

Cercopithecus

  • Guenons (genus)
  • Arboreal 
  • colourful 
  • Sub-Sharan Africa
  • Fruits, seeds, insects 
  • Predators: Chimpanzees, Leopards, Eagles 
  • Slight sexual dimorphism 
  • Cercopithecinae so have cheek patches 
  • Polygynandrous 
20 of 36

Papio

  • Baboon (genus)
  • Ubiquitous but not in rainforest 
  • Terrestrial 
  • Omnivorous but mostly herbivorous
  • Predators: Nile crocodile, lions, leopards, cheetas, spotted and stripped hyaenas 
  • Females have ano-genital swelling to incite male to male competition 
  • Sexual dimorphism
  • Dental formula: 2123
  • Quadropedal locomotion 
  • Polygynandry and occasional polygyny 
  • Most are not seasonal breeders
21 of 36

Theropithecus

  • Gelada (genus)
  • Only foudn in the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands
  • Terrestrial, grasslands are threatened by climate change 
  • Only prinarily Grainivorous primate (grass eating) 
  • Diurnal 
  • Predators: dogs, jackals, leopards, servals, hyaenas, eagles and vultures
  • polygyny 
  • Sexually dimorphic
  • Year round breeding but the estrus of females is synchronised 
  • estrus is indicated by ring of red breading on hairless region of chest
22 of 36

Gorilla

  • Terrestrial 
  • Central forest of  Africa- tropical and subtropical forest
  • 2 species Eastern and Western 
  • Herbvirous- THV 
  • Knuckle walking 
  • Predators: leopards
  • Dian Fossey 
  • Sexually dimorphic
  • Polygynous
  • not seasonal breeders
  • Some all male bands form 
  • Some infanticide 
23 of 36

Pan Troglodytes

  • forests and savannahs of West and central Africa
  • omnivorous frugivores 
  • occasionally hunt 
  • Predators: leopards
  • Jane Goodall 
  • Sexual dimorphism 
  • Polygynandrous 
  • females have sexual swelling
24 of 36

Pan paniscus

  • Bonobo
  • Congo basin 
  • Omnivorous
  • forests 
  • terrestrial and arboreal 
  • Predators: leopards possible crocodiles 
  • Polygynandrous 
  • knuckle walkers, but more bipedal than pan toglodytes 
25 of 36

Callithrix

  • Monogamous
  • monomorphic
  • Male parental investment 
  • Twinning 
  • Central America
  • Insects, fruit, leaves, gum
  • predators: mustelids, felids, arboreal snakes, owls, raptors
26 of 36

Sagunius

  • Tamarins
  • Monogamous
  • Some have polyandry 
  • Central and South America
  • Diurnal and Arboreal 
  • Omnivorous: fruits, insects, eggs
  • Predators: felids, arboreal snakes, owls, tarsiers
  • some sp. males have very large testes due to sperm competition 
27 of 36

Brachyteles

  • Muriquis 
  • Atlantic forests of South East Brazil 
  • Have sperm competitoin so have large testes 
  • little sexual dimorphism 
  • Predators: Jaguars, Raptors
  • Lond prehensile tails (Atelidae)
  • Polygynandrous
  • Research by Strier 
28 of 36

Strepsirrhines

  • Lemurs and lorises 
  • Wet and curly nose= macrosomatic 
29 of 36

Haplorrhines

  • Tarsiers
  • New world monkeys (Platyrrhini)
  • Old world monkeys (catarrhini) 
  • Apes 
30 of 36

Lemuridae

  • Lemur family 
  • Madagascar 
  • Large diversity of forms
  • Some have whiskers as were once nocturnal 
  • Predators: fossa, harrier hawk, humans
  • Significant variation 
  • Dental formula: 2133
  • Most have a tapetum lucidum 
31 of 36

Lorisidae

  • Lorises and pottos
  • S.E Asia and African 
  • often nocturnal 
  • have a tapetum lucidum 
  • Predators: civets, fishing cats- although different species have different predators
32 of 36

Daubentonia Madagascariensis

  • Aye-Aye
  • Long finger to find food under bark 
  • large ears
  • prefers dense tropical rainforest 
  • Madagascar 
  • Omnivorous: fruit, seeds, insects, nectar 
  • Predators: fossa, birds of prey
  • Dental formulae: 1013
  • Polygynandrous 
  • nocturnal 
  • Solitary 
33 of 36

Perodicticus potto

  • Potto
  • Equatorial Africa
  • frugivorous but also animal prey, plant gums and insect 
  • Predators: palm civets 
  • Sexually monomorphic
  • polygynous and polygynandrous mating
  • Solitary and nocturnal 
34 of 36

Tarsiidae

  • S.E Asia 
  • large tarsus, large eyes, large moveable ears
  • nocturnal
  • carnivorous: iinsects, frogs, lizards, birds
  • dry nosed
  • Predators: covets, arboreal snakes, monitor lizards 
35 of 36

Platyrrhini

  • New world monkeys 
  • Flat nosed 
  • Sideways facing nostrils 
36 of 36

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Biology resources:

See all Biology resources »See all Primatology resources »