Week #4 - Comparative Primate Blog

LOCOMOTOR PATTERNS

LEMURS-Prosimians 

SORT OF WHAT HUMANS LOOK LIKE ON ALL FOURS; UNCOMFORTABLE!!

THEY LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT!

The isolated island of Madagascar is home to many different kinds of lemurs. Some factors contributing to their existence are the island's isolation and the fact that they do not have to compete with other primates. Lemurs are forest creatures who live in tropical rainforest environments. They have very strong hands and fingers which they use to climb trees. Actually, most of their time is spent in trees. Depending on the species, their large muscular legs allow them to easily hop to other branches or jump from tree to tree. While a few lemur species scurry around the forest floor on all fours, other species find it a challenge to do so for they have adapted to arboreal living (living in trees). The Sifaka species move on the ground by using their back legs to hop sideways. This motion is also known as the lemur dance (very amusing to me). Their locomotor patterns include, quadrupedal locomotion (use of four limbs or legs), vertical clinging and leaping (arboreal locomotion), and in the case of a sifaka lemur, ground locomotion (ability to jump/leap very fast). These specialized locomotor patterns are a result of the environment they live in. Lemurs are very well adapted to their unique and isolated surroundings.

SPIDER MONKEYS-New World

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST RIGHT HERE!!!!

THIS IS WHY THEY CALL ME SPIDER MONKEY

Currently, there are several species of spider monkeys, the black spider monkey being the most popular. Black spider monkeys inhabit the forests of South America (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Surinam).  They are mainly found in moist tropical evergreen forests (high density, high rainforest), in high mountain forests and also in swamp/marsh forests areas. Spider monkeys are primarily arboreal primates. The common methods of locomotion seen in black spider monkeys are suspensory locomotion including brachiation (arboreal locomotion which uses only the arms), and quadrupedal walking and running. Black spider monkeys have elongated arms and hook like hands with elongated fingers which enable them to move from branch to branch and tree to tree with ease, security and efficiency. An adaptation seen in black spider monkeys is their long specialized prehensile tail also known as their "third hand". At the very tip of it is a patch of skin with distinct pattern lines (like a fingerprint) which they use to grip onto surfaces. Their tails enable them to hold onto branches so that they could hang upside-down (an activity that has earned them their name), and also for suspensory feeding (hanging or suspension of the body below or among the branches). Despite the fact that they lack external thumbs, they are able to maintain a powerful grip on branches. Their ancestors had an opposable thumb, but over time, due to the lack of use in their arboreal environment, it has shrunk in size (now an abbreviated thumb). This is indicative of adaptations that take place as a result of ones surroundings. Their characteristics are adaptations based on their completely arboreal lifestyle.

BABOONS-Old World

COME HERE LOVER BOY!!!!!

          

ISCHIAL CALLOSITY-NOT SO PLEASING TO LOOK AT THAT'S FOR SURE!

       

HABITATS

Baboons are known to be some of the world's largest monkeys.  There are five different baboon species, all currently living either in Arabia or Africa. Although baboons are adaptable to any environment, hence the variety in their living surroundings (tropical forests,  savanna, semi-arid habitats), their main requirements are sufficient water supply and safe sleeping places (tall trees or cliff faces). Unlike other old world monkeys, baboons lack a prehensile tail, instead they have short tails, but are still able to climb trees which they do so to sleep. Baboons have a rough spot on their protruding buttocks known as an "ischial callosity". These calluses which are nerveless, hairless pads of skin, provide baboons with comfort while sitting. They also have powerful hindquarters and legs that allow them to move quickly across the ground. Baboons are terrestrial (travel by foot and live on the ground), they are quadrupedal, and some have adapted a bipedal locomotive trait. All of these traits are adaptations to their usually treeless environments.

GIBBONS-Lesser Apes

INTRODUCING.......... THE WORLD'S GREATEST ACROBAT!

NO I'M NOT BREAKDANCING...I'M BRACHIATING THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

Gibbons are small arboreal apes, currently living in the tropical and subtropical rainforests of Southeast, South and East Asia. They are excellent brachiators and their agility in forest tree tops has earned them the title of "one of the world's greatest acrobats".  They have very long arms are longer than their legs, they have opposable thumbs and big toes, they use their rather large hands and feet to grasp and carry things, they use their hand fingers as hooks which is very helpful during brachiation, and they do not have a tail. They have great bipedal locomotion which they use on surfaces that are too large to grasp. When walking, they rely on their arms to assist with balance and keep them from dragging. As arboreal apes with minimal need for ground locomotion, gibbons have adapted to their habitats. Swinging is a crucial adaptation which enables them to move rather freely and safely throughout their environment.

CHIMPANZEES-Great Apes

SO TOUCHING!!!

JUST HANGING OUT WITH THE FAMILY!!

 

SO AMAZING, HIGHLY INTELLIGENT!!! 

Chimpanzees inhabit the continent of Africa and live in a variety of habitats (dry savanna, tropical rainforests, swamp forests, etc), with the common chimpanzee being a highly intelligent and highly adaptable species.  They do not have a tail, have long arms, their hands greatly resemble those of human hands (4 long fingers and an opposable shorter thumb), and their feet consists of 5 toes which includes an opposable big toe. Both their hands and feet are used to grasp things.  Although chimpanzees usually knuckle walk on all fours, they can also stand and walk upright, and move rather efficiently in the trees (brachiate). They actually do most of their eating and sleeping in trees.

Their various locomotive traits (quadrupedal, bipedal and brachiation) demonstrates their ability to adapt to various circumstances and their environment. They truly make great use of their surroundings.

SUMMARY

After learning about these 5 different primates and their locomotor patterns, I have come to the conclusion that the environment has a significant impact on physical and behavioral traits.  It is evident that we (humans, primates) are not only capable of, but are also highly dependent on our abilities to adapt.  The primate's locomotive traits depend on their environment and to some degree on their intelligence. Some primates are primarily arboreal, others are primarily terrestrial while others are both, but regardless, in each instance, I have seen how they have mastered/strengthened their traits, which in turn has and continues to allow them to live and survive in their environment. We posses the means to adapt, it is the environment that plays a huge role in how we do so.