Chapter 16, Problem 9A

Summary Introduction

To describe:

The group of primates that are called anthropoids.

Introduction:

Humans, apes, lemurs and monkeys are called primates. They share several behavioral and biological characteristics which suggest that they evolved from a common ancestor.

There are more than 200 species belonging to the group of primates. They are classified into two major subgroups; the strepsirrhines and the haplorhines. The strepsirrhines or the ‘wet nosed” primates are considered to be the most basic primates.

Answer to Problem 9A

The anthropoids are human- like primates. They include monkeys and apes. The monkeys include New World monkeys and the Old World monkeys. The apes include gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans.

Explanation of Solution

The haplorhines or the “dry nosed” primates include the anthropoids or human- like primates and a unique primate called tarsier. The anthropoidsare a large group of primates that include monkeys and apes.They are larger than the strepsirrhines and have larger brains in comparison to their body size. They are mostly diurnal, have color vision and have more complex social interactions. They live longer than lemurs.

The anthropoid monkeys are split into two groups; the New World monkeys and the Old World monkeys. New World refers to America and Old World refers to Africa, Asia, and Europe. New World monkeys include squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys and capuchin monkeys. Old World monkeys include macaques and baboons in one group and colobus and proboscis monkeys in another group.

The apes are classified into two categories; the lesser apes and the great apes. The lesser apes include gibbons and siamangs while the great apes include orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. The gorillas are the largest of the primates. They are terrestrial animals.