Old World Monkeys

The time interval that I analyzed this animal was from 11:30am to 11:50am and this monkey actually had a very active behavior and it was really a good experience to observe this monkey. The immediate physical description I was able to analyze from this primate was that it was black with a very long tail that later I was able to find out that it was actually a prehensile tail. The common behavior in this one was much walking and sitting during my analyzation. It was interesting to see the locomotion of this animal because I was able to see that it was both Quadrupedal and Bipedal. From the knowledge I have gotten from this class I know having that is a great advantage especially for the fact that it even uses it’s prehensile tail because it means they can travel for a much longer time compared to the primates that have only the locomotion of a quadrupedal. During my observation there was a point where the monkey was just prone on the cage and I thought it was almost going to pee on me because its genteel parts became very red so I stepped away from the cage. The primate at no time peed during my observation so that was a relief.

Gorillas are the largest group of primates and although they are known as being bipedal, similar to humans and other primates, they often use knuckle walking to move around. On observation, they have seems to have a more robust front appearance than their hind legs and behind. Their cranium is taller than other primates and lower mandible more protruding than their snout. They also have human-like ears that are parallel to their eyes and are small in size. They have

Primates first evolved from the trees of tropical forests, later to the ground. Through the times of promisians to human, many characteristics has been represented due to the adaptations to new environments and resulted in evolutionary changes. The Earth has encountered several geological and climatic changes over time. For the primates existed at that time had to adjust itself especially in body configurations and locomotion in order to better survive. It is important to be aware of this information since we are the part of occurring changes as well. Throughout the evolution owing to

This is a common element associated with non-human primates and is often unexplainable by researchers. However, these specialized biological anthropologists stick with their career path and added to the knowledge we have of non-human primates. Likewise, this article connects with physical anthropology because of this. The discussion on non-human primates and their behaviors is a key element in anthropology, especially physical anthropology. This behavioral concept among the monkeys ties into their culture as primates, and could vary from different species, as well as factors such as isolation and environment. In short, the research provided in Braun’s article is a key milestone in the field of anthropology and the continued study of primate

The primate order to which we as humans belong can be divided into two sub-orders: the Strepsirrhini, also known across much literature as prosiminans, containing lemurs and lorises and the Haplorrhini containing tarsiers, monkeys and apes. The Strepsirrhini divide further into Lemuriformes and Lorisiformes, and the Haplorrhini divide into Tarsiiformes and Simiiformes, also known as anthropoids which consist of apes and humans. The Simiiformes divide into Platyrrhini (New World monkeys) and Catarrhini (Old World monkeys and hominoids), (Napier, 2014). Fig.1 attached shows the divisions of primate classification. Primates have various characteristics that identify them from other vertebrates such as, opposable thumbs, nails

Over the past two months, I had the pleasure of visiting the Los Angeles Zoo on two occasions to observe primates for this project. Why two visits? Well, my initial observation notes were inadvertently thrown away in an unintentional fit of neatness. These observations, therefore, were taken on a warm afternoon in November 2014. Having carefully reread the paper requirements and suggestions before my second visit, I made a more conscious choice of the primates I was about to observe so there would be a more obvious contrast between their behaviors (on my first visit I had observed two different monkey species.) In this document, I will share my observations of the behaviors of Squirrel Monkeys and Bornean orangutans.

The article I chose is about spider monkeys and a problem scientists have found with their grooming habits. Since these monkeys are endangered, scientist were studying ways to keep them healthy before they all die off. It was found that by grooming each other, they are getting off parasites on the skin but also ones from inside. These parasites can be found on dead skin that the other monkeys end up pulling off during grooming which then transmits to the groomer. Since the monkeys don’t stay around the same group all the time, this parasite gets transmitted more easily and quickly. Now scientist can begin to work on trying to save these monkeys and other endangered primates with this new information.

Another common misconception is that we evolved from monkeys. Many people think this. Though it seems reasonable, that is not true. We did not evolve from monkeys. “Humans share a common ancestor with modern African apes, like gorillas and chimpanzees”(PBS Article). Our ancestor being the older form of monkeys before evolution. “Scientists believe this common ancestor existed 5 to 8 million years ago”(PBS Article). Though we had the same ancestor scientists think that a portion of them evolved to monkeys, apes, ect., while the other portion evolved to early forms of humans called hominids. Scientists think this because we are closely related to apes but not exactly related. These hominids evolved to humans through many generations, proof has

Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives to humans.They are some of the only animals who have thumbs and are able to grasp things almost as well as humans. There overall anatomy is what also shows their similarity to us. They, just like humans, have two arms, two legs, and one head. Chimpanzees are known for their unbelievable strength and intelligence, which has led them to be a popular research topic. They can be found in environments such as rainforests and savannahs across west and central Africa. These primates have been observed for many years and have undoubtedly proven their intelligence and unique culture. Chimpanzees can attribute their evolutionary success to their ability to use tools, adapt to their environment, and to pass on things they have learned from generation to generation.

The origin of speech in Homo sapiens is controversial topic since the problem is related to humans' unprecedented use of the tongue, lips and vocal organs as instruments of communication. As we know, the other animals vocalize, but do not use the tongue to modulate sounds. The most interesting scenario about this evidence, with regards to human language evolution, is the lip-smacking. According to scientists, lip-smacking has been observed as the first step towards the evolution of speech, although it is a phenomenon common in every primate. The evolution of distinctively human speech capacities has become a distinct and in many ways separate area of scientific research. Many studies have been done throughout the history regarding the origins of human language. The article about the Gelada monkeys of

Since the vervet monkey is considered an old world species, it inherently has a "close-set nostrils that are downward or forward facing, a tubular ear bone, and a tail, if present, that is never prehensile...adapted for grasping or holding" as can be seen viewing fossil records. (Old World monkey). Because of their tree dwelling nature along with

The squirrel monkey, also known as Saimiri, resides in multiple Central and Latin American regions. These nonhuman primates have a lifespan of approximately 20 years and gestation period of 4.8 months. There are roughly about 3,500 of these species living today compared to the 20,000 thought to have been once alive. Therefore, squirrel monkey’s face serious conservation concerns especially in Central America. Due to the squirrel monkey’s interesting behavior, agreeable appearance, and scientific research that has been conducted on the species, it is my favorite nonhuman primate.

Could you imagine if an animal could out smart you? For almost 100 years scientists have curious of number sense in animals. This topic came about because of a horse by the name of Clever Hans who would perform mathematical arithmetic and intellectual tasks for crowds of people. In more recent years, researchers have discovered new mathematical skills in different animal species such as the monkey.

A primate is a level of classification of organisms with similar characteristics Primates are animals so they are classified in the animal kingdom. They are vertebrates so they fall under the phylum of chordate. They are also mammals so they are in class Mammalia. Primates all belong to the primate order because they all have opposable thumbs, binocular vision, and arm rotation. Opposable thumbs allow primates to grasp objects and use them as tools. Binocular vision occurs when the eyes are place in the front of the skull and allows one to see objects in front. Primates have arms that can rotate around in their sockets to swing from trees. Examples of primates include lemurs, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. There has been continuous change

The squirrel monkey lives in a humid tropical, and the monkey eats fruit, flowers, insects, omnivore. Squirrel monkeys pick off the insects off of other monkeys. they find fruit on trees, and find the flowers on the ground. The habitat is in a dense humid forest near a stream.