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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 1 of 13
THE PLANET OF THE APES
The order of primates includes a large number of different-sized animals of diverse appearances and lifestyles, from the pygmy titi or the galago dwarf, which weighs less than 3.5 ounces (100 grams), to the mighty gorilla, which weighs more than 440 pounds (200 kilograms). It should not be forgotten that we humans also belong to this order.
Primates have five fingers and five toes with a nail at the end of each one. In most species of primates, the thumb opposes, or touches, the other fingers, enabling apes to pick up objects.
Primates may have a long or a short tail, and some, such as the chimpanzee, have no tail whatsoever. Certain species, like the spider money, possess a prehensile, or grabbing, tail. The gibbon walks upright, but most primates move around on all four limbs. Most primates are arboreal, that is to say they are tree-dwelling animals, although some, such as the baboon, live on the ground.
Primates are divided into two large groups: prosimians and simians or anthropoids. The former are the most primitive and include lemurs, galagos, lorises, and tarsiers; the latter comprise so-called monkeys (such as titis, tamarins, squirrel monkeys, macaques, baboons, mandrills, and so on) and gibbons, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and humans.
The pygmy titi measures less than 8 inches (20 centimeters) from its head to the tip of its tail, while a male gorilla can be more than 6 feet (1.90 meters) tall.
The shapes of the hands and feet of primates vary according to the lifestyle of each animal.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 2 of 13
MOTHER, FATHER, AND CHILDREN
Although it is common for certain species to give birth to twins, most female primates tend to give birth to one offspring at a time. During the first stage of the baby primate's life, it is breast-fed by its mother. The offspring rides on its mother's back by clinging to her hair. Normally the mother rears her baby by herself. In certain primate societies, such as that of the baboon, this task is shared by several females. On occasion, the males also cooperate in bringing up the young; such is the case of the titi, a small day-hunting monkey.
During infancy, young simians learn to behave by observing and imitating their mothers and the rest of the members of the group. The more advanced on the evolutionary scale a species is, the longer the young remain at their parents' sides. For instance, the lemur (a prosimian) can already take care of itself a few months after birth. On the other hand, the young chimpanzee and gorilla can remain for more than five years with their parents.
Young males tend to abandon the group while the females stay on. In certain species, it is the young female who leaves the group to join another group. In other species, both the males and the females are forced out of the group when they come of age.
The young of the common lemur have a baby-sitter to watch them.
The babies of baboons are breast-fed by their mother and remain firmly attached to her for months.
Often, there are observable differences between males and females such as a male and female howler monkey which in some species the females are lighter in color than the male.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 3 of 13
SOCIAL LIFE
Primates are social animals. They live in groups whose size and makeup vary greatly. There are groups of as few as five members to bands of over a hundred individuals. Many primates (such as the macaque or the olive-green Anubus baboon) live in groups made up of several adult males and females and their young.
There is a wide variety of parental and territorial relationships. In most cases, there also exists divisions, or rankings, among the males. The same may occur in the relationships among the females. Some species of primates form harems in which there is a single dominant male and several females and their young. This is the case of the gorilla. The gelada and the hamadryas baboons combine several groups of different harems to form a clan, only expelling males that cannot reproduce, and forming communities of more than 150 individuals.
Other simians (like the gibbon, the indri, and the titi) live in family groups consisting of a male and a female and their young.
Hamadryas baboon with gray-coats travel im clans in search of food.
A female olive-green Anubus baboon shows her fear of another dominant female by grimacing, lifting her hind leg, and raising her tail to a vertical position.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 4 of 13
NIGHT VISION
Galagos, lorises, and potos are night-hunting creatures with very developed sight and hearing. These tree-dwelling animals feed on insects and fruit. Instead of a toenail, the second toe has a claw, which is used for cleaning.
Galagos, which live in Africa, move quickly and easily. When jumping from tree to tree, they use their tail to help them balance. Their acute sense of hearing helps them to locate prey, mostly insects, although they are also very fond of resin, or natural gum from trees.
The Asian loris and the African poto are skilled climbers, although they move slowly and carefully. They often remain motionless for hours and have a very developed sense of smell to detect prey (caterpillars, flies, butterflies). They mark their territory by urinating in different places to leave their own strong odor, or scent.
The tarsier is part of a suborder that is independent from prosimians and simians. There are currently three surviving species in the jungles of Southeast Asia. The tarsier is a night-hunting creature with an acute sense of hearing. It is an excellent climber and jumper. This animal has many special identifying marks, like the claw on the third toe, long hind legs, and a long hairless tail that ends in a tuft.
Galagos feed on droplets of resin.
A galago, with ears pricked like a bat, will wait patiently for the slightest movement of an insect.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 5 of 13
NOSES
Simians are divided into two main groups: the platyrrhinians and the catarrhinians. The first group are native to Central and South America. They have a broad, flat nose, with widely separated nostrils. The second group, the catarrhinians, live in Africa and Asia. Their nose is thinner, with the nostrils closer together and facing downward. Their name derives from the Latin word for nose, rhinos.
There are two families of platyrrhinians: the callithricidae (titis and tamarins) and the cebidae (squirrel monkeys and spider monkeys).
Both the titi and the tamarin are small day-hunting simians. They live in trees and feed on fruit, flowers, and nectar, or tiny animals like insects and snails. The platyrrhinians are the only simians to possess claws on all of their fingers and toes except for the largest toe, which has a flat toenail. They have a colorful, soft coat and have large mustaches, manes, or tufts of hair around the ears. These monkeys generally live in a 14 group of a male, a female, and the offspring. The size of this group is between four and fifteen. The territory occupied by each family varies greatly and the size is determined by the quantity of food required for their needs.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 6 of 13
TAILS
The most numerous family of platyrrhinian simians is that of the cebidae. This family is made up of various species including: the long-armed spider monkey, the agile and minute squirrel spider, the graceful capuchin, the noisy howler monkey, and the strange-looking uakari. With the exception of the uakari, these primates have a long tail that is prehensile, or used for wrapping around objects, in certain species (such as the spider monkey and the howler monkey) and is used for clinging on to tree branches. Some species (like the capuchin), live in groups made up of a male and several females, and others (like the night monkey), have the same partner for life.
The howler monkey makes a howling noise, heard over great distances. This sound helps it locate other groups.
The uakari's head, with its hairless face and high forehead, gives this monkey an unusual appearance. This short-tailed creature is a daytime animal.
The night monkey is the only nocturnal monkey of the entire family. It has enormous eyes and, during the day, it sleeps hidden in the vegetation or in a hole in a tree trunk. It lives on fruit, leaves, nectar, insects, and certain small birds. The night monkey, unlike the spider monkey, does not have a prehensile tail.
The spider monkey, with its long arms and impressive tail, used both for swinging through the trees and for picking up objects, is a magnificent tree-dwelling ape whose territory takes up large stretches of forest.
Excluding the tail, the squirrel monkey only measures 11.5 inches (30 centimeters) in lengtl It moves with speed and great balance in tree kingdom. The squirrel monkey live: in groups of 30 to 40 males and females. The female takes care of: young and, during th mating season, the males fight each other for a partner. Brad andTrouble
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 7 of 13
THE COLOBUS AND THE LANGUR
Catarrhinian simians are divided into two large groups: hominoids (hylobates, pongidae, and hominoids) and cercopithecoids. This last family of monkeys is very numerous. They can be easily recognized because their buttocks have several noticeable rough spots. They are divided into two subfamilies: the colobinae (which include the colobus and the langur) and the cercopithecoid (which comprise the remainder, such as baboons and the cercopithecidae). The colobinae are noted for their thin body, long nonprehensile tail, and tiny or nonexistent thumbs.
The langur inhabits the jungles and forests of Asia. Generally they spend most of their time above ground in tree-tops. They feed on leaves, but also eat fruits, flowers, and seeds. The common langur is regarded as a sacred animal in India, and it is not unusual to see it in populated areas. This graceful gray-haired (except around its eyes, ears, hands, and feet) creature lives in groups ranging from six to seventy individuals. Males do not take care of the young. The colobus (the African relative of the langur) lives in the mountains and jungles. It has no thumbs, and feeds almost exclusively on leaves.
The western rusty-colored colobus lives in the forests and savannas of Gambia and Senegal.
The colobus guereza, an excellent acrobat, has been hunted for its fine, beautiful coat. At present it is a protected species.
The males of the big-nosed monkey of Borneo have such an enormous nose that it hangs over their mouth. Little is known about this curious animal.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 9 of 13
THE ORANGUTAN
The orangutan, the chimpanzee, and the gorilla belong to the family of pongidae. The orangutan, a red-haired ape, is found only in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo. It has long arms. With the exception of its face, its body is covered with long red hair. The adult male is larger and heavier than the female, and the older males develop fatty flab on either side of their face, giving them a funny appearance.
The orangutan spends almost its entire life in the treetops and rarely descends to the forest floor. It builds large nests, using branches and leaves, in the highest treetops and feeds upon fruit (nuts, litchis, mangoes, figs), leaves, shoots, flowers, and seeds. The orangutan often adds insects, bird's eggs, and chicks to its vegetaflan diet.
The orangutan likes to stay by itself. Once a year though, during the mating season, it takes a mate. During this period, the male tries to approach as many females as possible and, when successful, fights off any competing males.
After almost nine months of gestation, or carrying a baby in her stomach, the female orangutan gives birth to a single off-spring (occasionally apes give birth to twins) that she will breast-feed for three years. During this time, she will not have any more children. Young orangutans remain in the care of their mothers until they are seven or eight years old. Because of the increased destruction of its jungle home, the orangutan is in danger of extinction. To help save this very intelligent animal, orangutans are now a protected species.
The accumulation of fatty folds on its face and under its throat gives this old male orangutan a funny appearance.
Clinging to the branches with their long arms and prehensile, or gripping, feet, orangutans search for their favorite food, fruit.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 10 of 13
THE CLEVER CHIMPANZEE
The chimpanzee lives in the forests, jungles, and savannas, or dry treeless plains, of Africa. Like the orangutan and the gorilla, the chimpanzee belongs to the family of pongidae. Its arms are longer than its legs. It has big ears and a highly developed sense of smell and hearing. It feeds mainly on vegetables (fruit, seeds, and leaves), although sometimes it will eat tiny animals, especially insects.
Chimpanzees live in mixed groups of males and females, sometimes in large numbers; but there also exist groups of single males or females with their offspring. The young remain at their mother's side from five to seven years.
Scientific experiments have indicated that the chimpanzee is a very intelligent creature. They are very curious animals. They manufacture tools for use in everyday life, such as sticks for trapping termites and ants. The chimpanzee defends itself by hitting its enemy with a stick or by throwing stones at it. For a bed, the chimpanzee builds a nest with leaves and branches from the treetops.
The most highly developed and varied of all simians, the chimpanzee can make many gestures and sounds (howls, screeches, grunts). Chimpanzees also use many different facial expressions for communicating with other chimpanzees.
In addition to the common chimpanzee, there is also the pygmy chimpanzee, or bonobo that is native to the jungles of Zaire.
The chimpanzee makes tools for performing certain tasks. This stick is ideal for catching termites.
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THE FASCINATING WORLD OF PRIMATES by Maria Angels Julivert part 11 of 13
THE MIGHTY GORILLA
The mighty gorilla, the largest primate of all, lives in the tropical forests of central Africa. This ape has blackish hair, a large head, small eyes, and a wide, flattened nose. An adult male can weigh as much as 440 pounds (200 kilograms). Females are smaller. Unlike young gorillas, adult males have a streak of silver hair down their back.
The gorilla lives in stable, or lasting, groups, of between five and thirty members. Groups have one dominant adult male, or leader, several females with their young, and various young males. The male with fhe silver streak down its back is the leader, and it is his task to protect the group. Female goril- las give birth to one offspring every four years. When they reach adulthood, young males abandon the group to form their own groups. Female gorillas change groups when they are old enough to have babies.
Gorillas are active during the day and spend most of their time on the ground. They walk on all fours, placing their knuckles on the ground to move around. Gorillas are chiefly vegetarian, feeding on leaves, shoots, roots, and fruit. The destruction of forests and hunting have put the gorilla in danger of 28 extinction, especially the mountain gorilla, a magnificent animal very much like humans.
Gorillas live in groups. The dominant male is easy to recognize by his size and the silver streak of hair running down his back.
Copito de Nieve (Snowflake), the only known living albino, or white, gorilla, lives in the Barcelona Zoo.
To protect themselves from the sun, gorillas use large leaves as a kind of hat.
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