Primates are mammals adapted to tree living with grasping hands, stereoscopic vision, and large brains. They live in social groups with complex behaviors like dominance hierarchies, communication through gestures and grooming. Primates are altricial, requiring extensive post-natal care. They exhibit culture through learned behaviors like termite fishing or nut cracking that are shared within social groups rather than just instincts.

1. Primates and Primate
Behavior

2. Primates
Primates are a group of mammals that
are adapted to living in trees through
stereoscopic vision, grasping hands and
large brains.

3. 4 Groups
• Prosimians
• New World Monkeys
• Old World Monkeys
• Hominoidea

4. Primate Evolution

5. Ethology
• Ethology is the scientific study of animal
behavior.

6. Estrus Cycle
• The majority of primates (like most
mammals), have an estrus cycle.
• Females of the species are only
receptive to sex when they can
conceive.

7. Chimp in Estrus

8. Precocial vs. Altricial
• Precocial animals are relatively mature
and mobile soon after birth.
• Altricial animals are relatively helpless
after birth, requiring extensive care after
birth.

9. Primate Development
• Primates are altricial animals with a
requiring a very long period of post-
natal dependency.
• Chimps do not reach sexual maturity till
they are around 11 (in females) or 13 (in
males).

10. Post-Natal Care

11. Social Behavior
• Primates are social animals: they live in
groups and have complex social
behavior.
• Social animals recognize individuals as
having differing roles and statuses.

12. Dominance Hierarchy
• Dominance hierarchy - a structure
where the various members of a society
differ in power and access to food and
mates.

13. Dominance Hierarchy
• In a dominance hierarchy, there is
competition for who is the Alpha or most
dominant individual.

14. Agonistic Display
• An agonistic display is an act that attempts
to intimidate others…without actually
attacking them.

15. Cooperation
• While there is competition between
primates, there is much evidence of
cooperation as well. Primates will often
work together for mutual benefit.
• There is also some evidence for a
“sense of fairness” in our primate
cousins.

16. Grooming
• Primates can often be seen grooming
each other.
• Allo-grooming refers to grooming of
others.
• Auto-grooming refers to grooming of self.

17. Grooming

18. Grooming

19. Grooming
• Grooming serves a variety of functions:
it keeps the hair free of dirt and
parasites, relieves stress and helps to
create and maintain social bonds.

20. Primate Culture
• Non-human primates can be said to
have culture because they have shared
practices that are learned…and not just
instinctual.

21. Primate Culture Examples
• Termite fishing
• Cracking open nuts with rocks
• Gathering water with plant material.

22. Primate Cognition
• Humans and non-human primates have
very interesting similarities and differences
when it comes to learning.
• Chimps tend to out-perform humans on
memory tests. It is thought that our brains
evolved to better use language, while the
brains of non-human primates evolved
with better short-term memory.

23. Primate Learning
• All young primates learn by observing
adults…
• But humans spend time actively
teaching children. And human children
have a greater expectation of being
taught.