Primate order. General characteristics of the Primate order. The Primate order is divided into suborders.

Everyone has heard about the comparison of man with monkeys or the scientific assertion of his origin from these animals. Which is not surprising, since humans are one of the representatives of the Primate order, which includes many other mammals.

Representatives of the order Primates are smart animals with good reactions. They have unique features, which are not endowed with other animals. Below you will find articles about representatives of the Primates order, in which you can discover a lot of new and incredible things about these funny animals.

The common capuchin is a friendly monkey. Description and photo of the common capuchin

The common capuchin is a representative of the family of prehensile-tailed monkeys from the order Primates. A noisy and active creature. The common capuchin is also called the Steller's capuchin. This species of primate is one of the friendliest. In this article you will find a description and photo of the common capuchin and learn a lot of interesting things about this charming monkey.

The ring-tailed lemur is a restless lemur from Madagascar. Description and photo of the ring-tailed lemur

The ring-tailed lemur (other names ring-tailed lemur, catta lemur) is the most popular species of the lemur family. The ring-tailed lemur is a member of the order Primates. In Madagascar ring-tailed lemur has the nickname Maki. Lemurs are very cute, funny and kind animals. Below you will find a description and photo of the lemur, and also learn a lot of interesting things about this unusual and mysterious animal.

Many people have a special interest in the order of mammals known as primates, for the simple reason that Homo sapiens are themselves closely related to primates. In this article, you will discover 10 interesting facts about primates, a widespread group of animals that includes monkeys, lemurs, tarsiers and humans.

1. The word primates means "first"

Perhaps this name hides human egocentrism. Primates means "first" in Latin, a not-so-subtle reminder that man considers himself to be the pinnacle of evolution. From a scientific point of view, there is no reason to believe that monkeys, tarsiers and lemurs, representing the order of primates, are more advanced in terms of evolution than birds, reptiles and even fish. They just took a different evolutionary path millions of years ago.

2. There are two main suborders of primates

Until recently, naturalists divided the order into prosimians (Prosimii) and anthropoid primates (Anthropoidea). Today, the classification of primates has undergone significant changes. The squad is now divided into the following two sub-detachments:

• wet-nosed (Strepsyrhini), including lemuriformes and lorisiformes;
• dry-nosed (Haplorrhini), dividing into tarsiforms and apes.

We humans belong to the suborder of dry-nosed animals.

3. Primates have larger brains than other mammals.

There are many anatomical characteristics that distinguish primates from other orders of mammals, but the most main feature- this is their brain. Monkeys and other members of the order have larger brains relative to body size than other animals. Why do primates need big brains? To process the information necessary for effective use(depending on the species) their opposable thumb, prehensile tail and keen binocular vision.

4. The first primates evolved at the end of the Mesozoic era

Fossil evidence is still disputed, but most paleontologists agree that the first primates appeared between the middle and the end Cretaceous period. Early candidates for the role of the first primate include the North American purgatorius, and then, ten million years later, Plesiadapis appeared, living in the vastness of North America and Eurasia. After this, an important evolutionary split occurred between prehistoric and modern world primates. It is unclear exactly when this event occurred, but most likely during the Eocene epoch.

5. Primates are quite social animals.

Perhaps because they rely more on their brains than on their claws and teeth, most primate species tend to seek protection in communities such as clans, monogamous male-female pairs, and even distinctly human-like families. . However, it is important to understand that social associations Primates are not oases of peace and comfort. Murder and abuse are distressingly common, and some species even kill the newborn young of their own clan.

6. Primates Can Use Tools

You could write an entire book about “tool use” in the animal kingdom. Suffice it to say that naturalists no longer consider such behavior to be a characteristic of primates (for example, some birds use branches to pull insects out of trees). However, primates use many more tools than any other animal group. Sticks, stones and leaves are used for various difficult tasks (for example, cleaning ears or picking dirt out from under toenails).

Of course, Homo Sapiens was the best at using the tools, thanks to which we were able to build modern civilization!

7. Development in primates occurs more slowly than in other mammals

Big brains are something of a blessing and a curse: they help with reproduction, but also take longer to develop. Newborn primates, with their immature brains, are unable to survive without the help of one or both parents, or social group, for several months or years. In addition, like humans, most primates give birth to only one young, which entails a large investment of parental resources (and sea ​​turtle can afford to ignore its offspring because only one in twenty hatched turtles will make it to deep water).

8. Most primates are omnivores

One of the reasons why primates are so widespread across the planet is the fact that most species (including apes and chimpanzees) are omnivores. However, tarsiers are considered the only primates that are exclusively carnivores, and some species of lemurs, howler monkeys and marmosets are vegetarians.

9. Primates are sexually dimorphic

This is not a hard and fast rule, but many primate species exhibit sexual dimorphism, a tendency for males to be larger and more dangerous than females. Males of some primate species also have different coat colors and larger teeth than females. Oddly enough, the manifestation of sexual dimorphism in humans is one of the most subtle of all primates on the planet, with men outweighing women by an average of only 15% (although you can draw your own conclusions about the aggressiveness of men relative to women).

10. Some primate species have yet to be discovered

Of all the orders of mammals on Earth, primates might be the best studied: after all, most human naturalists have a special interest in tracking down our closest relatives. But given the tendency of small primates to hide in remote areas of the rainforest, we are only fooling ourselves if we think we have discovered all the species. As recently as 350 species of primates were identified in 2001, today there are about 450, meaning about half a dozen new species are discovered every year.

The initial interest in monkeys, the anatomical description of which we find in Aristotle, led to the development of a separate section biological science- primatology. This section summarizes data on fossil apes, as well as observations of extant ape species.

Most primates lead an arboreal lifestyle. Their body length varies from 12 cm (some prosimians) to 2 m (gorillas). In the process of adapting to an arboreal existence, the ancestors of primates developed many properties corresponding to their way of life.

Primates have five-fingered grasping limb. Five-fingered fingers, the oldest feature of mammals and terrestrial vertebrates in general, were preserved in primates and contributed to the formation of a grasping limb. This led to increased mobility, variety of movements and tenacity of the limbs. These properties of the forelimb are due to the presence of a clavicle, which all primates possess. The mobility of the forearm is associated with the pronation and supination characteristic of primates, i.e. the ability of the radius to rotate freely relative to the ulna, to perform flexion and extension movements in the elbow joint.

Tenacity in most primates is explained by the ability of the first finger to oppose the rest. Primate fingers have mostly flat nails rather than claws. In those forms that have claws on individual fingers, the first is always equipped with a nail.

When primates move on the ground, they usually use their entire foot. Therefore, they can be defined as plantigrade animals, less adapted to fast running than typical terrestrial forms - digitigrades.

Life in trees provides primates with a variety of food - fruits, leaves, berries, buds, as well as insect larvae, chicks, eggs, i.e. - mixed food. All three categories of teeth are involved in its chewing, and this allowed primates to avoid those one-sided changes in the dental apparatus that characterize other orders of mammals such as ungulates, rodents, carnivores, etc. Primates, like humans, are characterized by the presence of all types of teeth (incisors, canines, premolars and molars), and the number of these teeth is relatively constant. Such dental system called heterodont. Primates are characterized by a complete change of teeth, that is, two generations - milk and permanent.

A grasping, very mobile hand frees, to a certain extent, the jaws from the functions of grasping food. Many primates grab food, usually with their hands, and bring it to their mouth. This relief of the load on the jaw apparatus, to one degree or another, was reflected in a reduction in the size of the jaws and, in general, in a reduction in the facial part of the skull compared to the brain part. The process of changing the relationship between the brain skull and the face is also associated with other phenomena that took place during the evolution of primates.

The arboreal lifestyle affected the relative importance of the sense organs of these animals. Primitive land mammal is guided in its behavior primarily by olfactory sensations. The olfactory organ plays the first role in the life of such an animal, and the olfactory lobe of the brain hemispheres is the largest and most progressive. With a predominant existence on a tree and with separation from the ground, the situation changes; In trees, the animal's perception of odors becomes less important. Here hearing and an accurate eye are much more important. Arboreal animals progressively develop corresponding sense organs. In addition, for primates with their grasping limbs, with their easily mobile fingers, tactile sensations become of great importance, especially acutely perceived through the sensitive bare skin areas located on the limbs. The ends of the fingers of primates are therefore expanded; they are protected by flat nails (instead of the claws of most other mammals) and on their skin, in contact with surrounding objects, there are “tactile patterns” - rows of thin ridges arranged in arcs, loops, circles, ovals.

The increased development of the organ of vision and touch was accompanied in primates by a decline in the role of smell. Accordingly, they have a reduced number of nasal conchae and the entire nasal part of the skull. This, in turn, reduces the face and changes its relationship to the cranium in favor of the latter. Finally, the rapid development of those areas of the cortex that are involved in the conscious perception of visual and tactile sensations has led to a general increase in the mass of the brain and its profound restructuring. The hemispheres grow so much that other parts of the brain cannot keep up with it; The occipital part of the hemispheres in many primates covers the cerebellum (partially or entirely), just as it is the case in humans. Not only the cerebral hemispheres develop, this process also includes the cerebellum, but the latter does not develop as quickly as the cerebrum. Total weight brain compared to body weight in primates changes towards cerebralization.

Enlargement and internal restructuring of the brain was a prerequisite for the development of close coordination of various and complex movements performed by primates when climbing, hanging on branches, jumping in trees. Along with this, primates have developed an instinctive desire to manipulate objects, regardless of their nutritional value. The monkey grabs any unfamiliar thing, examines it, feels it from all sides, tries it with its teeth and tongue, etc. All this is possible only with relatively high level development of the psyche and brain.

Therefore, primates are characterized by greater development of the cerebral hemispheres compared to other mammals, an increase in its volume and, in accordance with this, an increase in the capacity of the cranium. Large size cranium and brain, its high differentiation is associated with the extraordinary mobility of representatives of this order and the variety of functions of their forelimbs.

Most primates have lost the seasonality of sexual activity and are able to reproduce throughout the year. The order is characterized by low fertility, most often one cub is born. A decrease in fertility and increased care for offspring has created best conditions for survival. Primates are characterized by an increase in the period before the onset of puberty; at this time, experience is transferred from adults to the new generation.

Communication between individuals in a herd occurs through facial expressions and vocalizations - both of these methods have reached a high level of development in monkeys. Monkeys can make about 50 different sounds, which serve as warning signals of danger, curiosity, friendly greeting, inspiration, dissatisfaction, etc.

The structure of the larynx of monkeys differs significantly from its structure in humans. All attempts to teach them how to pronounce words by imitation ended in failure. At the same time, it was possible to teach chimpanzees “sign language” - they mastered about 120 words expressing their needs and requests addressed to the experimenter. It is clear that there is a huge qualitative difference between these methods of transmitting information and human speech based on abstract thinking.

Signs characterizing the order of Primates:

1) Limbs of the grasping type, five-fingered, thumb mobile and for many can be opposed to others. Nails are developed on the fingers.

2) Heterodont dental system.

3) The brain has a larger volume and complex structure, eyes directed forward.

4) When walking, they rest on the entire foot.

5) With low fertility, they are capable of reproduction throughout the year.

The listed features characteristic of primates explain why it was in this order that the progressive direction of evolution became possible, which led to the emergence of man.

Questions and tasks for self-control

I. Give answers to security questions.

1. Provide an explanation of direct and indirect evidence confirming the high degree of kinship between humans and animals and apes.

2. Describe systematic position humans in the animal world.

3. In connection with what structural features of living primates are divided into two main groups of suborders - Strepsirrhines and Haplorhines.

4. Describe appearance Strepsirrhine primates, which families of prosimians belong to them?

5. Name common features haplorine primates, characterize the taxa included in this group.

6. Describe the structure, lifestyle and taxonomy of the Tarsier suborder.

7. Describe the structure, lifestyle and taxonomy of broad-nosed monkeys.

8. Narrow-nosed monkeys: structure, lifestyle and taxonomy.

9. Describe the taxonomy of the Hominoid superfamily.

10. List the characteristics that characterize the order of Primates.

II. Choose the correct answer.

1. To direct evidence confirming family ties humans and animals and the high degree of kinship between humans and apes include:

And the skeletal remains of fossil humans;

B comparative embryology data;

In physiological data;

The doctrine of vestigial organs and atavisms;

D all answers are correct.

2. The rudimentary organs of man, which had functional significance among his distant ancestors, but gradually lost it in the process of evolution, include:

And the remains of the general hairline;

B caudal vertebrae;

In polymastia;

G muscles that move the auricle;

D all answers are correct.

3. According to the criteria of zoological taxonomy, the species “Homo sapiens” is classified as:

And the suborder Prosimians;

B suborder Tarsier;

In the infraorder Broad-nosed monkeys;

G infraorder Narrow-nosed monkeys;

D all answers are correct.

4. The human body has many characteristics in common with mammals:

And all the answers are correct;

B four-chamber heart;

In anucleate red blood cells;

G spine;

D constant body temperature.

5. The most ancient group of Strepsirrhine primates does not include:

And the lemurs;

B tarsiers;

In Tupai;

6. Which primates are characterized by the formation of “mixed flocks”, which can even include raccoons and birds?

And the lower narrow-nosed monkeys;

B tarsiers;

The broad-nosed monkeys;

G hominoids;

7. Bonobos are part of the genus:

And Gorillas;

B Gibbons;

In Orangutans;

G Chimpanzee;

D all answers are wrong.

8. A sign uncharacteristic of the Primate order:

And they are only capable of seasonal reproduction;

B the brain has a larger volume and complex structure;

When walking, they rest on the entire foot;

G grasping type limbs;

D gerotodontic dental system.

9. The most evolutionarily successful family of monkeys, all species of which are diurnal.

B Monkeys;

In Marmosets;

G Lemurs;

D Orangutans.

10. In primates, sensory organs progressively develop, causing the following types sensitivity:

And the sense of smell;

B taste and touch;

In vision;

G hearing and smell;

D vision, hearing and touch.

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 lead predominantly wood image life (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 the South should also be included in this group. East 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 of 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 widespread in Europe and North America. In many ways they are close to the higher primates.

Anthropoidea ( great apes, 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.

• Primates (Latin Primates, French Primat, from primas, lit. “first”) are one of the most progressive orders of placental mammals, including, among others, monkeys and humans. The order includes more than 400 species.

  The ancestors of primates lived in trees in tropical forests. The way of life of most people is associated with trees. modern primates. Accordingly, they are adapted to a three-dimensional habitat.

  With the exception of humans, who inhabit all continents, most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions of Northern and South America, Africa and Asia. The body weight of primates varies from 30 g for the lemur Microcebus berthae to more than 200 kg for the eastern lowland gorilla. According to paleontological data, the ancestors of primates appeared at the end of the Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago; the most ancient primates (representatives of the genus Plesiadapis) are known from the late Paleocene, 55-58 million years ago. The molecular clock method indicates that primates may have diverged from ancestral forms in the mid-Cretaceous period about 85 million years ago.

  The primate order has traditionally been divided into two suborders - prosimians and monkeys. Primates from the suborder Prosimians have features characteristic of ancient primates. This suborder included, in particular, lemurs, lorisiformes and tarsiers. Primates from the suborder of monkeys were represented by anthropoids, including apes and humans. IN lately Primates are classified into the suborder Strepsirrhini or dry-nosed primates, and the suborder Haplorhini or dry-nosed primates, which includes tarsiers and apes. Apes are divided into broad-nosed or New World monkeys (living in South and Central America) and narrow-nosed or Old World monkeys (living in Africa and Southeast Asia). New World monkeys include, in particular, capuchins, howler monkeys and saimiris. Narrow-nosed animals include apes (such as baboons and macaques), gibbons and great apes. Man is the only representative narrow-nosed monkeys, which spread beyond Africa, South and East Asia, although fossils indicate that many other species previously lived in Europe. New species of primates are constantly being described, with more than 25 species described in the first decade of the 21st century, and eleven species described since 2010.

  Most primates are arboreal, but some (including great apes and baboons) have become terrestrial. However, primates leading a terrestrial lifestyle retain adaptations for climbing trees. Methods of locomotion include jumping from tree to tree, walking on two or four limbs, walking on the hind limbs supported by the toes of the forelimbs, and brachiation - movement in which the animal swings on the forelimbs.

  Primates are characterized by larger brains than other mammals. Of all the feelings highest value has stereoscopic vision as well as a sense of smell. These features are more pronounced in monkeys and weaker in lorises and lemurs. Some primates have tricolor vision. In most people the thumb is opposed to the others; some have a prehensile tail. Many species are characterized by sexual dimorphism, which manifests itself in body weight, fang size, and coloration.

  Primates develop and reach adulthood more slowly than other similarly sized mammals, but they live long lives. Depending on the species, adults can live alone, in pairs, or in groups of up to hundreds of individuals.