Primates are a diverse order of mammals that includes over 500 species. They range in size from mice to humans. This document discusses the anatomy, behavior, ecology, and classification of primates. It notes that primates have grasping hands and feet, flexible joints, nails instead of claws, and large brains compared to other mammals. Primates live in forests and exhibit a variety of locomotion styles. Their general body plan allows for versatile living. The document outlines the major phylogenetic splits among primates and describes characteristics of different primate groups including prosimians, anthropoids, haplorrhines, strepsirrhines, and great apes. It discusses threats to primate biodiversity and extinction of some species

1. THE PRIMATE STUDY: CRY
FROM EXTINCTION
OBAJE GODWIN SUNDAY
DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY FACULTY OF BASIC
MEDICAL SCIENCES COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
ALEX EKWUEME FEDERAL UNIVERSITY NDUFU ALIKE
+2348068638121 OBAJE199@GMAIL.COM

2. WHY STUDYING PRIMATES???????
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3. Primates are remarkable. We’re all familiar with
chimpanzees, monkeys, and ring-tailed lemurs,
but have you heard of tarsiers, with their big
eyes, woolly lemur, douc and uakari.
Primates can be as small as mice
504 species in all, which makes primates one of
the largest groups of mammals.
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4. PRIMATES OF DIFFERENT SIZES
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5. BASIC ORDERS OF CLASSIFICATION
- Prosimians: Lemurs, Lorises, Tarsiers
- Anthropoids: NWM, OWM, Hominoids
Revised
- Strepsirrhini: Lemurs and Lorises
- Haplorrhini: Tarsiers, Monkeys, Apes, Humans
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6. Protheria Eutheria Metatheria
Primate radiation
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7. PROTHERIA
Also called monotremes
Reproduction is by egg-laying but nurture their
young ones like humans
For example, Platypus and Echidna
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8. EUTHERIA
Also called placenta mammals
Reproduction is by placenta and internal
fertilization followed by implantation
Warm-blooded vertebrate having the skin more
or less covered with hair; young are born alive
except for the small subclass of monotremes
and nourished with milk
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9. METATHERIA
Also called marsupials
Reproduction without use of placenta
For instance, Kangaroos, Koalas and Opposums
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10. THE PRIMATE RADIATION AND
BIOLOGICAL EXTINCTIONS
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
RODENTIA INSECTIVORA CARNIVORA MARSUPIALS NONHUMAN
PRIMATES
Some mammalian orders and the number of
species in Earth
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11. SKELETAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIMATES
AND OTHER MAMMALS?
Larger brains
Opposable thumbs, prehensile hands and feet
(gripping)
Flexible and limber shoulders and hip joints
Bipedalism: walking like humans
Nails instead of claws (on most)
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12. HABITAT(S) OF PRIMATES
Mostly tropical and temperate forests
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13. ANATOMICAL FEATURES OF PRIMATES
CONT…
Flexibility - major joints are separate so can
move through trees well
Dermal ridges, sensitive touch
Depth perception and color vision, overlapping
FOV
Reduced sense of smell
Tooth form related to diet, dietary plasticity,
canines
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14. ADAPTATION TO LIVING ON TREES OF
PRIMATES
Predator evasion
Opposable thumbs
Power grip/precision grip
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15. REASONS FOR LONG GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMATE
Brain size
High level of intelligence
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16. DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOCOMTIONS OF
PRIMATES
Vertical clinging and leaping
Quadrupedalism (all fours, Knuckle Walking by
gorillas)
Quadrumanual (4-handed climbing)
Brachiation (only apes, swing by arms)
Bipedalism (walk up right)
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17. TYPE OF BODY PLAN OF PRIMATE
A generalized body plan. There is no special
morphological forms that diversify one primate
from another.
This general body plan allows for versatile ways
of living
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18. DIET AND TEETH OF PRIMATE
Wide assortment of food items, omnivorous (fruit,
seeds, leaves, meat, insects)
Apes, Humans, OWM: 2.1.2.3 (2 premolars)
NWM: 2.1.3.3 (3 premolars)
Large canines:
Defense against male-male comp.
Rip/shred meat
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19. SENSES OF PRIMATES
Touch and sight
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20. SOCIAL LIFE OF THE PRIMATE
Enhances survival and reproduction
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21. PRIMATE RESIDENCE PATTERNS
Polygynous (one-male, multi female)
Polyandrous (one-female, multimale)
Multimale, multifetale (promiscuous mating)
Monogamous (one-male, one-female)
All-male
Solitary
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22. REPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES OF MALE
AND FEMALE PRIMATES
Males:
Physically compete for female/resources
Provide resources
Infanticide, so female will mate with new alpha
Females:
Invest a lot in each infant
Some are more selective due to ranking
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23. GROOMING IN PRIMATES
Affection/bonding/building friendships
Lower rank on higher rank
Reduce tension
Hygiene
Traded for sex sometimes
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24. EVIDENCE SUGGEST THAT HUMANS ARE
PRIMATES
Teeth
Grasping hands
Developed vision
Bipedalism from arboreal ancestor
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25. MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS COMMON TO
PRIMATES
Grasping hands/feet
Nails
Hindlimb locomotion
Forward facing eyes
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Binocular vision
Reduced olfaction
Large brains
Long gestation
Long juvenvile period

26. GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF
PRIMATES CURRENTLY
 Americas
 Africa
 Asia (Ancient: North america and europe)
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27. FIRST MAJOR PHYLOGENETIC SPLIT
The primate lineage emerge forming two large
suborders)
When the dinosaurs went extinct
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28. MORPHOLOGICAL OF STEPSIRRHINES
Small
Primitive
Vertical clingers and leapers (galagos)
Slow climbers (lorises)
Strepsirhines are slow climbers:
Lorises
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29. TWO STREPSIRHINE INFRA-ORDERS
Lemuriformes
Lorisiformes
Strepsirhine group underwent an adaptive
radiation:
Lemurs
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30. NEW WORLD MONKEYS AND OLD
WORLD MONKEYS
NWM: more arboreal, forward facing nostrils,
wide septum, more teeth
OWM: more terrestrial, downward facing
nostrils, narrow septum, fewer teeth
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31. OWMS AND APES FOUND
Africa and Asia
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32. HOMINOIDS ARE…….
Apes that climb/swing in upright postures
because they get too big , tailless and large
brains,
Lesser apes, great apes
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33. GREAT APES
Gorilla
Orangutan
Chimpanzee
Bonobo
Human
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34. GREAT APES CONT……..
ORANGUTAN: south asian distribution, big and
heavy, vegetarian not many babies, vulnerable
to extinction, long arms fingers, and toes,
solitary, slow reproduction, intense male-male
competition for mates
GORILLA: largest of the apes, mountain and
lowland, knuckle walkers, one male-multi female
groups, mixed vegetation: preferably fruit,
equatorial africa
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35. GREAT APES CONT……
CHIMPANZEE: multimale-multifemale groups,
knuckle walkers, territorial: females disperse,
eats fruit, vegetation, meat, strong male social
bonding, sophisticated tool use, reproduce
everything 3 years, equatorial Africa
BONOBO: multimale-multifemale groups, female
dispersal, less agressive, strong female bonding,
eats fruit, vegetation, and some meat, knuckle
walkers, not well studied, intergender sex
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36. FOUR FACTORS THAT DETERMINE HOW
MUCH FOOD PRIMATES REQUIRE
Basal metabolic rate
Active metabolism
Growth rate
Reproductive effort
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37. PRIMATES DEFEND THEMSELVES
AGAINST PREDATION
Vocalization (making different noises when a
certain predator is spotted, interspecific
associations, increased group size)
Detection (more eyes)
Deterrence (mobbing)
Dilution (individual risk lower)
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38. CLASSWORK02
 YOU MUST GO TO YOUR VILLAGE AND ASK FROM ELDERS OF LOWER
AND HIGHER PRIMATES THAT HAVE GONE INTO EXTINCTIONS OVER
THE LAST FEW DECADES. THIS ASSIGNMENT SERVES AS A POSSIBLE
WAY OF IDENTIFICATION FOR SOME OF US WHO DON’T KNOW ROAD
TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. IT’S UNFORTUNATE THAT MANY OF YOU
STUDENTS HAVE LEFT THIS PHYLOGENETIC TREE OF LIFE.
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IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW YOUR
GRANDFATHER LOOK LIKE YOU MAY
DOUBT YOUR ORIGIN FROM THE GREAT
APE……OBAJE 102

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My source of inspirations…..
THANKS
1. Carol R. Ember
2. Craig Stanford
3. Susan Anthon