Order Primates. Primates - interesting facts about the order of animals related to humans. Which animals belong to the order Primates

Primates that are included in this order of mammals. They live in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and America. Only one species - magot - is found in Europe - on the rocks of Gibraltar. Zoologists divide primates into two groups (suborders): prosimians and monkeys, or great apes. We, people, also belong to the latter, representing a family of people, one genus - man and the only species - modern reasonable person. The ancestors of all primates were ancient insectivorous animals that lived at the end Cretaceous. Outwardly, they resembled tupaya - a representative of prosimians.

Primates: 1 - ghost tarsier; 2 - mandrill; 3 - coata; 4 - Diana monkey; 5 - bonobo pygmy chimpanzee; 6 - gorilla.

Some primates are almost dwarfs, measuring 8.5–12 cm, and our “cousins”, gorillas, reach 180 cm in height. Alone with long tails, helping to cling to branches, others have short tails, and others have no tails at all. The body of primates is covered with thick hair.

These are very active animals. Most prefer to live in trees, where they move with the agility, precision and virtuosity of first-class acrobats. Jumping from tree to tree is swift and unexpected. Small tarsiers jump 1 m, howler monkeys easily cover a distance of 4 m in the air. There are also those who prefer a terrestrial lifestyle, such as the squirrel-like tupai, the ring-tailed lemur, and the baboon.

Life in the trees left its mark on the structure of the body and sensory organs of primates. They have five-fingered grasping limbs. Poorly developed sense of smell is compensated good eyesight and hearing. The brain is highly developed, and great apes- hemispheres of the brain that provide conscious activity.

Prosimians have up to four young, sometimes twice a year. They make nests in tree hollows and other secluded places. Some species of lemurs hibernate during the hot season.

Monkeys are especially interesting.

Monkeys are touchingly tender with their young. In the pack, “neighbors” help mothers nurse their children. The Japanese macaque is a neat person: he always washes his food before eating. The crabeater macaque from Java, an inhabitant of mangrove swamps, catches crabs and collects shellfish, the shells of which are broken by taking a stone in his hand. In addition, he is a good swimmer. Rhesus monkeys are not inferior to him in this: he not only swims, but also dives excellently.

Other aspects of monkey behavior in nature are also interesting. Among monkeys living in herds, a leader dominates, regulating relationships among his subordinates. Sometimes just one look from him is enough - and the quarrel immediately stops. Many monkeys, such as the baboon, are brave, fearless and even engage in single combat with a leopard. Sounds, facial expressions, gestures are various signals for action and means of communication of these animals.

People are trying to better understand the world of monkeys, especially anthropoids: chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans. They are observed in captivity and in the wild.

Monkeys play a big role in human life. Macaques were the first living creatures to rise in a rocket into the stratosphere. Monkeys serve as a model replacing humans in biological experiments. The Japanese macaque became the main supplier of materials for obtaining the polio vaccine, saving hundreds of thousands of people from serious illness.

Monkeys eat fruits, flowers, buds, shoots, honey, as well as bird eggs, lizards, insects, and small birds. But they still prefer plant foods. This is necessary to know when keeping monkeys in living areas. But here's what's interesting. When a chimpanzee born in captivity was released onto an island in the middle of a lake (near Pskov), he did not touch any of the 15 species poisonous plants who grew up on the island. This means that they are able to distinguish edible plants from inedible ones well.

Primates live quite a long time. Lori, tupai - up to 7 years, saimuria - 21 years, hamadryas - 30, capuchin fawn - 40, gorilla - 50 years.

Now only 2.5 thousand orangutans and 10 thousand gorillas have survived in the wild due to excessive hunting. Therefore, most of the monkeys are taken under strict protection.

In 1927, the Sukhumi nursery was created, where up to 3 thousand monkeys were kept, some of them were released into the wild as an experiment. Experiments were also conducted on the acclimatization of monkeys near Moscow. It turned out that they not only tolerate winter well, but also reproduce well here.

The order unites the most developed and progressive mammals. “Primates” in translation means “first”, since representatives of the monkey species are one of the most highly organized animals. There are more than 200 species of primates - these include small pygmy marmosets (up to 10 cm in length) and huge gorillas (up to 180 cm in length) weighing about 250 kg.

General characteristics of the Squad

Primates inhabit tropical zones: prefer to live in dense thickets. Other species of arboreal animals climb trees using sharp claws. But primates do this using long fingers that wrap around a branch.

The front and hind limbs are five-fingered, the first finger, like a human’s, is opposed to the rest. This is how the animals securely grab onto the branches and stay on them. There are no claws on the fingers, but flat nails grow. Primates use their limbs not only for moving, but also for grasping food, cleaning and combing hair.

Signs of the primate order:

Binocular vision;
limbs with five fingers;
the body is densely covered with hair;
instead of claws, nails are developed;
the first finger is opposed to the others;
poor development of sense of smell;
developed brain.

Evolution

Primates - oldest group placental mammals. With the help of the remains, it was possible to study their evolution over 90 million years, it was then that apes were divided into primates and woolly wings.

After 5 million years, two new groups formed: dry-nosed and wet-nosed primates. Then the tarsiforms, apes, and lemurs appeared.

Global cooling, which occurred 30 million years ago, led to mass extinction primates, representatives remained only in Africa, America and Asia. Then the first true ancestors of modern primates began to appear.

These animals lived in trees and ate insects. From them came orangutans, gibbons, and dryopithecus. The latter are an extinct group of primates that evolved into other species: chimpanzees, gorilla, humans.

The opinion of scientists that man descended from dryopitens is based on many similarities in structure and appearance. Upright walking - main feature, who first separated humans from primates during evolution.

Similarities between humans and primates
Similarities	Characteristic
Appearance	Large size, long limbs with the same structure plan (five-fingered, the first finger is opposed to the rest), similar shape of the outer ear, nose, facial muscles, nail plates
Internal skeleton	12-13 pairs of ribs, similar sections, same bone structure
Blood	One cellular composition, four blood groups
Chromosome set	Number of chromosomes from 46 to 48, similar shape and structure
Metabolic processes	Dependence on enzyme systems, hormones, identical mechanisms of breakdown of nutrients
Diseases	Tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles, polio have the same course

Sense organs

Among all mammals, monkeys have the most developed brain, with many convolutions in the hemispheres. Hearing and vision are well developed. The eyes simultaneously focus on the object, allowing you to accurately determine the distance, which is very important when jumping along branches.

Monkeys are able to distinguish the shape of surrounding objects and their color; from a distance, they see ripe fruits and edible insects. The olfactory receptors do not distinguish odors well, and the fingers, palms and feet, devoid of hair, are responsible for the sense of touch.

Lifestyle

They eat plants and small animals, but still give preference to plant foods. Newborn primates are able to see from the first days, but cannot move independently. The cub clings to the fur of the female, who holds it with one hand and carries it with her.

They lead an active lifestyle during the daytime. They unite in herds with a leader - the strongest male. Everyone obeys him and follows his instructions, which are sent through facial expressions, gestures, and sounds.

Habitats

In America, primates with wide nostrils (broad-nosed monkeys) and elongated tails that easily cling to branches are common. A well-known representative of the broad-nosed monkey is the spider monkey, which received this name because of its long limbs.

Narrow-nosed primates live in Africa and tropical Asia. The tail, for example, in monkeys, does not play a significant role during climbing, and some species are completely deprived of it. Baboons prefer to live on the ground, moving on all fours.

Squad classification

There are several classifications of the primate order. The modern one distinguishes two suborders: wet-nosed primates and dry-nosed primates.

Characteristics from the suborder Wet-nosed species distinguish them from dry-nosed species. The main difference is a wet nose, which makes it possible to better perceive odors. The first finger is less opposed to the other fingers. The wet-nosed ones give birth to more fertile offspring - up to several cubs, while the dry-nosed ones mainly bear one child.

The older division of primates into two groups is considered: prosimians (lower primates) and monkeys (higher primates):

Prosimons include lemurs and tarsiers, small animals that are active at night. They inhabit the territory of tropical Asia and Africa.
Monkeys are highly organized animals, whose representatives include different types marmosets, marmosets, gibbons, and apes.

Apes include the African gorilla, chimpanzees, and orangutans. Apes climb trees during the day in search of food, and at night they settle in nests made of twigs. They skillfully and quickly move on their hind limbs, maintaining balance using the back of the hand, which rests on the ground. Apes lack a tail.

Representatives of the family have a well-developed brain, which determines their behavior. They are endowed with excellent memory and intelligence. Apes can make primitive tools from available materials. The chimpanzee uses a branch to remove insects from narrow gorges and uses straws as toothpicks. Monkeys use large knots and piles of earth as weapons.

Thanks to their developed facial muscles, chimpanzees can communicate by sending facial signs to each other: they can depict fear, anger, joy. In this respect, apes are very similar to humans.

Humans, as a representative of primates, are also characterized by: a five-fingered grasping limb, a tactile pattern, differentiation of teeth, significant development of sensory systems, low fertility, and more. That is why humans are classified as members of the ape family. Distinctive feature people is the consciousness that arose in connection with work activity.

The primate order is divided into two suborders and 16 families:

Suborder Wet-nosed ( Strepsirrhini) includes the following families:

Dwarf lemurs ( Cheirogalidae);
Lemuridae ( Lemuridae);
Lepilemurs ( Lepilemuridae);
Indriaceae ( Indridae);
Hand-footed ( Daubentoniidae);
Loriaceae ( Loridae);
Galagadae ( Galagonidae).

Suborder Dry-nosed ( Haplorrhini) consists of the following families:

Tarsier ( Tarsiidae);
Marmosets ( Callitrichidae);
Grain-tailed monkeys ( Cebidae);
Night Monkeys ( Aotidae);
Sakova ( Pitheciidae);
Spider monkeys ( Atelidae);
Monkeys ( Cercopithecidae);
Gibbons ( Hylobatidae);
Hominids ( Hominidae).

Evolution

Fossils of early primates date from the Early (56 to 40 million years ago) or possibly Late Paleocene (59 to 56 million years ago) epochs. Although they are an ancient group and many (especially the broad-nosed or New World monkeys) remained entirely arboreal, others became at least partially terrestrial and achieved high levels of intelligence. There is no doubt that this particular detachment includes some of the.

Lifespan

Although humans are the longest-living primates, the potential lifespan of chimpanzees is estimated at 60 years, and orangutans sometimes reach this age in captivity. On the other hand, the lifespan of lemurs is about 15 years, and monkeys are 25-30 years.

Description

Roxellanov's rhinopithecus

Despite the marked differences between primate families, they have several anatomical and functional characteristics that reflect their general squad. Relative to body weight, the primate brain is larger than that of other mammals and has a unique spur-like groove that separates the first and second visual areas on each side of the brain. While all other mammals have claws or hooves on their toes, primates have flat nails. Some primates have claws, but the big toe still has a flat nail.

Not all primates have equally dexterous hands; only narrow-nosed monkeys(monkeys and hominids, including humans), as well as some lemurs and lorises, have an opposing thumb. Primates are not the only animals that grasp various objects with their limbs. But since this characteristic is found in many other arboreal mammals (such as squirrels and opossums), and since most living primates are arboreal, it is assumed that they evolved from an ancestor that was arboreal.

Primates also have specialized nerve endings on their limbs that increase tactile sensitivity. As far as is known, no other placental mammal has them. Primates have fingerprints, but so do many other arboreal mammals.

Primates have binocular vision, although this feature is by no means limited to primates, but is a common characteristic observed among. Therefore, it has been proposed that the ancestor of primates was a predator.

Primate teeth differ from those of other mammals: the low, rounded shape of the molar and premolar teeth contrasts with the long sharp teeth other placental mammals. This difference makes it easy to recognize primate teeth.

Size

Members of the primate order exhibit a range of size and adaptive diversity. Most small primate- mouse lemur ( Microcebus berthae), which weighs about 35-50 grams; The most massive primate is, of course, the gorilla ( Gorilla), whose weight varies from 140 to 180 kg, which is almost 4000 times the weight of the mouse lemur.

Geographical range and habitat

Primates occupy two main vegetation zones: And . Each of these zones created corresponding adaptations in primates, but among tree species, perhaps more diversity of bodily forms than among the inhabitants of the savannah. Arboreal primates share many of the characteristics that likely evolved as adaptations to life in the trees. Several species, including our own, have left trees and become terrestrial.

Non-human primates are widespread in all tropical latitudes, India, Southeast and. In Ethiopia, gelada (genus Theropithecus) is found at altitudes up to 5000 meters. The gorillas of the Virunga Mountains are known to pass through mountain passes at altitudes of over 4,200 meters. Red Howlers ( Alouatta seniculus) Venezuelans live at an altitude of 2500 meters in the mountains of the Cordillera de Merida, and in northern Colombia the Myriquins (genus Aotus) are found in the tropical montane forests of the Central Cordillera.

The gestation period varies among primate species. For example, mouse lemurs have a gestation period of 54–68 days, lemurs 132–134 days, macaques 146–186 days, gibbons 210 days, chimpanzees 230 days, gorillas 255 days, and humans (on average) 267 days. Even in small primates, the gestation period is significantly longer than in other mammals of equivalent size, reflecting the complexity of primates. Although there is a general evolutionary tendency for primates to increase body size, there is no absolute correlation between body size and the length of the gestation period.

The degrees of puberty and maternal dependence at birth are obviously closely related. Newborn primates are not as helpless as kittens, puppies or rats. With a few exceptions, a young primate is born with with open eyes and wool. The cubs must be able to cling to their mother's fur; only a few species leave their babies in shelters while feeding. The cubs of the highest primates are able to cling to their mother's fur without outside help; however, humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas must support their newborns, and humans do this the longest.

Once the primate infant has learned to support itself by standing on its own two (or four) legs, the physical dependency phase is over; next stage, psychological dependence, lasts much longer. The human child is attached to its mother for a much longer time than the non-human primate. The teenage period of psychological maternal dependence is 2.5 years in lemurs, 6 years in monkeys, 7-8 years in most hominoids and 14 years in humans.

Behavior

Primates are among the most social animals, forming pairs or family groups. On social systems influenced by three main environmental factors: distribution, group size and predation. Within social group there is a balance between cooperation and competition. Cooperative behavior includes social grooming, food sharing, and collective defense against predators. Aggressive behavior often signals competition for food, bedding or mates. Aggression is also used to establish dominance hierarchies.

It is known that several species of primates can cooperate in wildlife. For example, in national park In Africa, several species coordinate behavior to protect themselves from predators. These include Diana's marmoset, Campbell's marmoset, small white-nosed marmoset, red colobus, royal colobus, and smoky mangabey. Among the predators of these monkeys is the common chimpanzee.

Primates have developed cognitive abilities: some make tools and use them for food and for social display; others have complex hunting strategies that require cooperation, influence, and primacy; they are status conscious, manipulative and capable of deception; these animals can learn to use symbols and understand human language.

Some primates rely on olfactory cues for many aspects of social and reproductive behavior. Specialized glands are used to mark territories with pheromones, which are picked up by the vomeronasal organ. Primates also use vocalizations, gestures, and emotions to communicate psychological state. Like humans, chimpanzees can distinguish between the faces of familiar and unfamiliar people.

Primate conservation

Although many primates are still abundant in the wild, populations of many species are in steep decline. More than 70% of primates in Asia and approximately 40% of primates in South America, mainland Africa and the island of Madagascar are listed as critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A number of species, especially the gorilla, some of the Madagascar lemurs and some species of South America, are at serious risk of extinction as their habitats are destroyed and poaching is widespread.

However, the numbers of some endangered species have increased. Concerted captive breeding efforts have been successful, and reintroduction into the wild is also practiced in Brazil.

There are more than 400 species of primates living in nature, and on this site we will try to describe them all. The most famous of them are the great apes. The sizes of primates are variable: body length from 8.5-10-12 cm (tarsiers, lemurs, tupai) to 180 cm (gorillas).

Primates are predominantly arboreal (some tupayas, ring-tailed lemurs and baboons). Monkeys live in small, rarely in large groups. Activity is usually daytime.

By nature of nutrition, they tend to be omnivorous with various deviations towards herbivory or carnivory, depending on the species, season and habitat. On this site we plan to publish descriptions of all types of monkeys, both the most famous and very rare.

PRIMATES, an order of mammals that includes humans, apes, other apes, and prosimians. Perhaps the tupai from Southeast Asia. The name “primates”, meaning “first”, “leading”, was given to the order by C. Linnaeus, the father of modern biological taxonomy.

Primates mainly live in trees, for which their limbs are adapted to move. They are long and thin, and the hands and feet are of a grasping type: the thumbs are usually opposed to the others. The limbs rotate easily at the hip and shoulder joints; the front ones and, to a lesser extent, the back ones can be turned with the palm and sole inward and even upward. The teeth of more primitive primates (in particular, tupai and lemurs) are covered with sharp tubercles and are adapted for grinding, in addition to plant food, also the hard coverings of insects. Their muzzle is elongated and pointed. Monkeys have a shortened snout; the two branches of the lower jaw in front are fused without a seam, and the teeth bear rounded tubercles and are adapted for crushing the soft parts of plants. The upper canines are usually well developed, especially in males, and are used in fighting.

The reproductive system of primates is similar to humans, with the exception of small details. In many monkeys the placenta is double discoid, but in tarsier and apes it is formed by a single disc, like in humans. Lemurs have a diffuse, permanent placenta. As a rule, one cub is born.

The sense of smell in primates, unlike most mammals, is poorly developed, but their vision and hearing are acute. The eyes are located in the front plane of the face, which provides a wide binocular field, i.e. stereoscopic vision. Monkeys, especially apes, have a well-developed brain; it is similar to a human one, but its structure is simpler.

Zoologists divide the order of primates in different ways. In the system proposed here, the order is divided into two suborders: prosimians and great apes, i.e. monkeys and humans. Each suborder is divided into three superfamilies, which in turn include one or more families.

Prosimiae (prosimians). Tupaiidae (tupaiids). Tupai are often classified as insectivores, but most likely they are close to the ancestral form of all primates and can be considered a special superfamily of prosimians. They have claws on their paws, and their five toes can move widely apart. The chewing surface of the molars bears a W-shaped ridge. The eye sockets are surrounded by a continuous ring of bone, like those of lemurs. Fossils of tupaiaceae close to modern forms were found in Mongolia and date back to the Lower Oligocene. primate monkey squad

Lemuroidea (lemurs). The oldest lemur-like primates are known from the Paleocene and Eocene North America and Europe. The lemur family Lemuridae includes the lemurs of Madagascar. Only there the only species of the family Daubentoniidae, the aye-aye, is found. Fossils found in France dating back to the Eocene showed that the family was earlier more widespread. Lorisidae include loris, pottos and galagos, found in Southeast Asia and tropical Africa.

Tarsioidea (tarsiers). This important superfamily is currently represented by only three species in the Malay Archipelago, but in the Eocene similar forms were common in Europe and North America. In many ways they are close to the higher primates.

Anthropoidea (higher primates, monkeys). Ceboidea (broad-nosed monkeys, New World monkeys). It is possible that this superfamily, independently of other apes, descended from ancient lemuroids. Their nostrils are separated by a wide septum, and there are three premolar (double-apex) teeth. In marmosets (Callithricidae), except for Callimico, the last molars on both jaws are absent, and the fingers, except the first toe, are armed with claws in all species. Capuchins (Cebidae) have flat nails on all fingers, but the tail in many cases is tenacious and grasping; the thumbs are often very small or even absent. One fossil species from the Lower Miocene of Patagonia is very similar to modern forms.

Cercopithecoidea (lower narrow-nosed or dog-like , monkeys). Old World monkeys from the family Cercopithecidae have only two premolars, and their tails are never prehensile. Marmosets, mangabeys, macaques, baboons and other marmosets (subfamily Cercopithecinae) have cheek pouches. They feed on plants, insects and other small animals. Gverets, langurs and other representatives of the subfamily of slender-bodied monkeys (Colobinae) do not have cheek pouches. They feed primarily on leaves and their stomachs have three sections. The ancestors of Old World monkeys appeared no later than the early Oligocene.

Hominoidea (humanoids). This superfamily includes three families of tailless primates: Hylobatidae (gibbons), Pongidae (apes), and Hominidae (humans). The similarity between them is no less than within the groups of canine and broad-nosed monkeys: the dental systems, brain structure, placenta, embryonic development and even serological reactions are very similar. Fossil forms that may have given rise to the entire superfamily are known from Egypt and date from the Lower Oligocene (Propliopithecus); the oldest remains of gibbons were discovered in the Miocene deposits of Central Europe; early apes are represented by many finds of Miocene and Pliocene age (Dryopithecus and Sivapithecus), and the genus Paleosimia, very similar to modern orangutans, is described from the Siwalik Formation (Upper Miocene) in northern India.

The class of mammals is characterized by viviparity, feeding the baby with milk, and carrying it in the uterus. All representatives of this class are homeothermic, that is, their body temperature is constant. In addition, their metabolic rate is high. In addition to the middle and inner ears, all mammals also have an outer ear. Females have mammary glands.

Primates (prosimians and monkeys) of all mammals are distinguished by perhaps the greatest richness and diversity of forms. However, despite the differences between them, many structural features of their bodies are similar. They were developed in a long process of evolution as a result of an arboreal lifestyle.

Primate limbs

Primates are animals that have a well-developed five-fingered grasping limb. It is adapted for representatives of this order to climb tree branches. They all have a clavicle and a completely separated ulna and radius, allowing for a variety of movements and forelimb mobility. The thumb is also movable. In many species it can be contrasted with others. The terminal phalanges of the fingers are equipped with nails. In primate forms that have clawed nails, or those that have claws on only some of the digits, the thumb is characterized by the presence of a flat nail.

The structure of primates

When moving on the surface of the earth, they rely on the entire foot. In primates with arboreal life associated with a reduction in the sense of smell, as well as good development of the organs of hearing and vision. They have 3-4 nasal turbinates. Primates - whose eyes are directed forward, the eye sockets are separated from the temporal fossa by a periorbital ring (lemurs, tupayas), or by a bony septum (monkeys, tarsiers). U lower primates there are 4-5 groups of vibrissae (tactile hairs) on the muzzle, 2-3 in the higher ones. In monkeys, just like in humans, skin ridges are developed over the entire plantar and palmar surface. However, prosimians have them only on their pads. The variety of functions that the forelimbs have, as well as the active life of primates, led to the strong development of their brain. And this means an increase in the volume of the cranium in these animals. However, only higher primates have large, well-developed brain hemispheres with many convolutions and sulci. In the lower classes, the brain is smooth, with few convolutions and grooves.

Hair and tail

Species of this order have thick hair. Prosimians have an undercoat, but in most primates it is poorly developed. The fur and skin of many species are brightly colored, and the eyes are yellow or brown. They have a long tail, but there are also tailless and short-tailed forms.

Nutrition

Primates are animals that eat mainly mixed food, in which plant foods predominate. Some species are insectivorous. The stomach in primates, due to mixed type food, simple. They have 4 types of teeth - canines, incisors, large (molars) and small (premolars) molars, as well as molars with 3-5 cusps. A complete change of teeth occurs in primates, it applies to both permanent and milk teeth.

Body measurements

There are significant variations in the body size of representatives of this order. The smallest primates are mouse lemurs, while gorillas grow to 180 cm and above. The body mass of males and females differs - males are usually larger, although there are many exceptions to this rule. The family of some monkeys consists of several females and a male. Since body weight is an advantage for the latter, natural selection occurs associated with its increase. For example, a male Hanuman can gather a whole harem consisting of 20 females - a very large family. Primates are forced to protect their harem from other males. In this case, the body weight of the owner of the family reaches 160% of the female’s weight. In other species in which males usually mate with only one female (for example, gibbons), representatives of different sexes do not differ in size. very weakly expressed in lemurs.

When fighting for paternity, not only body size plays an important role in such a group as primates. These are animals whose fangs serve them powerful weapon. Males use them in aggressive displays and fights.

Primate reproduction and offspring

Primates reproduce all year round. Usually one calf is born (at lower forms there may be 2-3 of them). Large species of primates reproduce less frequently, but live longer than their smaller relatives.

Already at the age of one year, mouse lemurs are able to reproduce. Every year two cubs are born. The body weight of each of them is about 6.5 g. Pregnancy lasts 2 months. 15 years is the longevity record for this species. The female gorilla, on the contrary, becomes sexually mature only at the age of 10. One calf is born, whose body weight is 2.1 kg. Pregnancy lasts 9 months, after which a second pregnancy can occur only after 4 years. Gorillas typically live up to 40 years.

What is common to different species, with significant differences in species, is a small number of offspring. The growth rates of young animals in representatives of this order are very low, much lower than those observed in other mammals with similar body mass. It is difficult to say what is the reason for this feature. Perhaps it should be looked for in brain size. The fact is that the most energy-intensive tissues in the body are the brain tissues. In large primates it is observed high level metabolism, which reduces the rate of development of reproductive organs, as well as body growth.

Tendency to infanticide

Due to low reproduction rates, primates have a pronounced tendency towards infanticide. Often, males kill cubs that the female gave birth to from other males, since the lactating individual cannot conceive again. Males who are at their peak physical development, attempts to reproduce are limited. Therefore, they do everything possible to preserve their genotype. A male monkey, for example, Hanuman, has only 800 days out of 20 years of life to procreate.

Lifestyle

The order Primates typically live in trees, but there are semi-terrestrial and terrestrial species. Representatives of this order have a diurnal lifestyle. Usually it is gregarious, less often solitary or in pairs. They mainly live in subtropical and tropical forests Asia, Africa and America, and are also found in high mountain areas.

Classification of primates

There are approximately 200 known species of living primates. There are 2 suborders (monkeys and prosimians), 12 families and 57 genera. According to the classification that is most widespread at present, the order of primates includes tupai, forming an independent family. These primates, together with tarsiers and lemurs, form a suborder of prosimians. They connect lemurs with modern primates, recalling what kind of ancestors the latter had in ancient times.

Primates: evolution

It is believed that the ancestors of modern primates were insectivorous primitive mammals, similar to the tupai that exist today. Their remains were found in Mongolia, in Upper Cretaceous deposits. Apparently these oldest species lived in Asia, from which they settled to other places in North America and the Old World. Here these primates evolved into tarsiers and lemurs. The evolution of the original forms and the New World, apparently, was from primitive lankers (some authors consider ancient lemurs to be the ancestors of monkeys). American primates arose independently of the monkeys found in the Old World. Their ancestors from North America penetrated into South America. Here they specialized and developed, adapting to an exclusively arboreal lifestyle. In many biological and anatomical traits, humans are higher primates. We constitute a separate family of people with the genus man and only one species - modern sapiens.

Practical significance of primates

Modern primates have a very large practical significance. Since ancient times, they have attracted human attention as funny living creatures. Monkeys were the subject of hunting. In addition, these mammals were put up for sale for home entertainment or in the zoo. Primates are even eaten as food these days! Aborigines still eat the meat of many monkeys today. The meat of prosimians is also considered very tasty. Skins of certain species are used today for making various things.

In recent years, the primate order has become increasingly higher value in medical and biological experiments. These animals show great similarities with humans in many anatomical and physiological characteristics. And not only great apes have this similarity, but also inferior ones. Representatives of this order are even susceptible to the same diseases as us (tuberculosis, dysentery, diphtheria, polio, tonsillitis, measles, etc.), which generally proceed in the same way as ours. That is why some of their organs are used today in the treatment of people (in particular, the kidneys of green monkeys, macaques and other monkeys are a nutrient medium for growing viruses, which, after appropriate processing, are then turned into a vaccine against polio).