Primates are a detachment belonging to the class of mammals, a type of chordates (a subtype of vertebrates). The class of mammals is characterized by live birth, feeding the cub with milk, carrying it in the uterus. All representatives of this class are homoiothermic, that is, their body temperature is constant. In addition, their metabolic rate is high. In addition to the middle and inner ear, all mammals also have an outer ear. Females have mammary glands.
Primates (semi-monkeys and monkeys) of all mammals are perhaps the most rich and diverse forms. However, despite the differences between them, many structural features of their bodies are similar. They have developed through a long process of evolution as a result of an arboreal lifestyle.
Limbs of primates
Primates are animals with a five-fingered grasping limb, well developed. It is adapted to the climbing of the representatives of this detachment along the branches of trees. All of them have a clavicle, and the ulna and radius are completely separated, which providesvariety of movements and mobility of the forelimb. The thumb is also movable. It can be contrasted in many species with the rest. The terminal phalanges of the fingers are provided with nails. In primate forms that have clawed nails, or those that have claws on only some of the fingers, the thumb is characterized by having a flat nail.
The structure of primates
When moving on the surface of the earth, they rely on the entire foot. In primates, tree life is associated with a reduction in the sense of smell, as well as a good development of the organs of hearing and vision. They have 3-4 turbinates. Primates are mammals whose eyes are directed forward, the eye sockets are separated from the temporal fossa by the periorbital ring (lemurs, tupai), or by a bony septum (monkeys, tarsiers). In lower primates, there are 4-5 groups of vibrissae (tactile hairs) on the muzzle, in higher ones - 2-3. In monkeys, as well as in humans, skin ridges are developed on the entire plantar and palmar surface. However, the semi-monkeys have them only on the pads. The variety of functions that the forelimbs have, as well as the active life of primates, led to a strong development of their brain. And this means an increase in the volume of the skull in these animals. However, only higher primates have large, well-developed cerebral hemispheres with many convolutions and furrows. In the lower ones, the brain is smooth, there are few convolutions and furrows in it.
Hairline and tail
The species of this order have thick hair. Prosimians have an undercoat, but most of the representativesprimates it is poorly developed. The coat and skin of many species are brightly colored, the eyes are yellow or brown. Their tail is long, but there are also tailless and short-tailed forms.
Food
Primates are animals that feed mainly on a mixed diet, dominated by plant matter. Some species are insectivorous. The stomach in primates, due to the mixed type of nutrition, is simple. They have 4 types of teeth - canines, incisors, large (molars) and small (premolars) molars, as well as molars with 3-5 tubercles. A complete change of teeth occurs in primates, it applies to both permanent and milk teeth.
Body measurements
Significant variations are noted in the body size of representatives of this order. The smallest primates are mouse lemurs, while the growth of gorillas reaches 180 cm and above. The body mass of males and females differs - males are usually larger, although there are many exceptions to this rule. The family of some monkeys consists of several females and a male. Since body weight is an advantage for the latter, there is a natural selection associated with its increase. For example, a male Hanuman can assemble a whole harem of 20 females - a very large family. Primates are forced to guard their harem from other males. At the same time, in the owner of the family, the body weight reaches 160% of the female's weight. In other species, in which males usually mate with only one female (for example, gibbons), representatives of different sexes do not differ in size. Sexual dimorphism is very weakly expressed in lemurs.
WhenIn the struggle for paternity an important role is played not only by the size of the body in such a detachment as primates. These are animals whose fangs serve as powerful weapons for them. Males use them in aggressive displays and fights.
Primate reproduction and offspring
Primates breed all year round. Usually one cub is born (lower forms may have 2-3). Large primate species breed less frequently but live longer than their smaller counterparts.
Mouse lemurs can breed already at the age of one year. Every year, two cubs are born. The body weight of each of them is about 6.5 g. Pregnancy lasts 2 months. 15 years is a longevity record for this species. The female gorilla, on the contrary, becomes sexually mature only by the age of 10. One cub is born, whose body weight is 2.1 kg. Pregnancy lasts 9 months, after which a second pregnancy can occur only after 4 years. Gorillas usually live up to 40 years.
Common for various species of monkeys, with significant species differences, is a small offspring. The growth rates of young animals in representatives of this order are very low, much lower than those observed in other mammals with a similar body weight. It is difficult to say what is the reason for this peculiarity. Perhaps it should be sought in the size of the brain. The fact is that the brain tissues are the most energy-intensive in the body. In large primates, it has a high level of metabolism, which reduces the rate of development of reproductive organs, as well asbody growth.
Prone to infanticide
Primates have a tendency to infanticide due to low reproduction rates. Often, males kill the cubs that the female gave birth to from other males, since the lactating individual cannot conceive again. Males that are at the peak of their physical development are limited in their attempts to reproduce. Therefore, they do everything possible to preserve their genotype. A male monkey, for example, Hanuman, has only 800 days out of 20 years of life to procreate.
Lifestyle
Squad of primates, as a rule, lives in trees, but there are semi-terrestrial and terrestrial species. Representatives of this detachment have a daytime lifestyle. Usually it is gregarious, rarely solitary or paired. They mainly live in the subtropical and tropical forests of Asia, Africa and America, and are also found in high mountain areas.
Classification of primates
About 200 species of modern primates are known. There are 2 suborders (monkeys and semi-monkeys), 12 families and 57 genera. According to the classification, the most common at present, the primate order includes tupai, forming an independent family. These primates, together with tarsiers and lemurs, form a suborder of semi-monkeys. They connect insectivorous animals with modern primates through lemurs, reminding them of what ancestors the latter had in ancient times.
Primates: evolution
It is believed that the ancestors of modern primates were insectivorous primitive mammals, similar to the tupai that exist today. Their remains were found in Mongolia, in the Upper Cretaceous deposits. Apparently, these ancient species lived in Asia, from which they spread to other places in North America and the Old World. Here these primates developed into tarsiers and lemurs. The evolution of the original forms of monkeys of the Old and New Worlds, apparently, was from primitive long-legged creatures (some authors consider ancient lemurs to be the ancestors of monkeys). Independently of the apes found in the Old World, American primates arose. Their ancestors from North America penetrated into South. Here they specialized and developed, adapting to an exclusively arboreal lifestyle. In many biological and anatomical ways, humans are superior primates. We make up a separate family of people with the human genus and only one species - the modern intelligent.
Practical importance of primates
Modern primates are of great practical importance. Since ancient times, they have attracted the attention of man as funny living creatures. Monkeys were the subject of hunting. In addition, these mammals were put up for sale for home entertainment or in the zoo. Primates are even eaten today! Aborigines still eat the meat of many monkeys today. The meat of the semi-monkeys is also considered very tasty. The skins of certain species are used today for dressing various things.
The primate order has become increasingly important in medical and biological experiments in recent years. These animals show great similarity with humans in many anatomical and physiological ways.signs. Moreover, not only anthropoid primates have this similarity, but also the lower ones. Representatives of this order are even susceptible to the same diseases that we are (tuberculosis, dysentery, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, tonsillitis, measles, etc.), which proceed in general in the same way as we do. That is why some of their organs are used today in the treatment of people (in particular, the kidneys of green monkeys, macaques and other monkeys - a nutrient medium for growing viruses, which, after appropriate processing, then turn into a polio vaccine).
