Prosimian

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SUBMITTED BY ,
JYOTIRMAYEE BADRA
ZOOLOGY DEPARTMENT
UG 6th SEMESTER
ROLL NO :59R0020009
GUIDED BY,
PRAKASH CHANDRA PARICHHA
PROSIMIAN

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INTRODUCTION
 Prosimian is a suborder of primates.
 Prosimians are divided into three groups
 1.Lorisiformes
 2.Tarsiformes
 3.Lemuriformes
 Usually these prosimians are found in tropical areas such as southeast Asia,
Madagascar,south Africa etc.
 Lorisiformes include all extant African and Asian species of Lorises, pottos and
galagos which are represented by 9 genrra and 18 species.
 Tarsifornes include the living tarsiers,the extinct omomyids,two extinct fossil genera
and two extinct fossil species within the genus Tarsius.
 Lemurufirmes include lemurs.

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Unique Anatomy
 Considerable anatomical variations exist among prosimian primates.
 Weight vary from 30grams(mouse lemur) to 8kilograms (largest lemur species)
 They are small bodied and most primates are nocturnal ,they have large eyes and superior night
vision.
 Some are very active,move quickly through forests by leaping from branch to branch (e.g.
galagos)
 Body is lighter
 Hind limbs are noticeable longer than the forelimbs and limbs are approximately equal
length(e.g. lorises,pottos)
 All prosimians are monogastric,the length of the intestinal tract as well as the size and
conformation of the cecum and large bowel vary, depending on the species.
 Teeth combs are found in lemuriforms.

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Special housing requirements:-
 They can stay in outdoor enclosures as well as indoor enclosures.
Prosimians who stay in outdoor enclosure they must be given adequate
shade.
 The size and design of enclosures for prosimians depend on the species,
group size and social dynamics and the reproductive status of individuals.
 Nocturnal prosimians are typically housed in indoor
environments.Generally these prosimians are solitary in nature and some
prefer to stay with a member of opposite sex in captivity.
 Some prosimians such as lemurs are diurnal and they are social and are
housed with a compatible cage mate /social group.
 Enclosures for multimember groups should contain multiple feeding
stations to prevent dominate animals from monopolizing food.
 Some prefer to live in nest by weaving nest(lemurs and lorisoids).

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Special physiology
 They have low basal metabolic rate as compare to other mammals.
 Behaviours such as basking and huddling are related to energy conservation and thermal
regulation.
 Prosimians have no active mechanism for cooling, and temperature regulation is accomplished by
limiting activity, seeking cool locations during hot weather, licking hands to generate evaporative
cooling.
Feeding:-
Some are primarily insectivorous (some species of galagos) and some species are highly folivorous
(Indriidae).
Some prosimians eat leaves, fruits, flowers and high fibre biscuits.
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Characteristics of Prosimian:-
 Although the group “prosimian” is vast and it has different kinds of species,they do share
some common characteristics,such as
 Active times(most species are nocturnal in nature , exception is galagos which is diurnal)
 Brain (Small brains and brains are dedicated to smell rather than eyesight.)
 Biological risk to humans( these are least acquainted to human beings)
 Eyes and sight ( typically large eyes,eyes are suited for night vision and vision is
dichromatic)
 Habit and distribution(they are arboreal, found on the island of Madagascar, certain
species reside throughout the rest of Africa and Asia.
 Limbs(they have strong hands and feet so that they can grasp tree branches and also to
move around.
 Snout and smell( usually they have longer snout than simian species, have a much better
sense of smell that helps to identify foods that are safe to eat)
 Teeth (in fully grown state,possess about 36 teeth.

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 Extinct prosimian families
 Adapidae
 Archeolemuridae.
 Archicebidae.
 Notharctidae.
.
 Megaladapidae.
 Ekmowechashalidae
 Omomyidae
 Living prosimian families
 Cheirogaleidae
 Indriidae
 Lemuridae
 Lepilemuridae
 Tarsidae
 Lorisidae
 Galagidae
 Daubentonidae

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A catalogue of the prosimians
Prodimians are subdivided into 3groups ,these are Lemuriformes,Lorisifornes andTarsiformes.
1.Lemuriformes(found only in Madagascar) 2.Lorisiforms:
It includes 5 families: It includes 2 families
A.Cheirogaleidae A.Lorisinae
B.Lemuridae B.Galaginae
C.Lepilemuridae 3.Tarsifomes
D.Indridae
E.Daubentonidae
 .