Primates are one of the progressive orders of mammals, including monkeys, the taxonomy of which is summarized in this article, and humans.
The last to appear on Earth, but the first in terms of intelligence, ingenuity and craving for knowledge of the world - these are the primates. Evolution has endowed them not only with a developed brain, but also with color stereoscopic vision, incredible dexterity and long movable fingers. These traits make primates ideal canopy dwellers.
Primate taxonomy
Classify primates began Carl Linnaeus in 1758, dividing the taxonomy into monkeys, semi-monkeys, sloths and bats. Then the man was separated from the rest of the four-armed monkeys into a two-armed suborder. However, further study of the characteristics of representatives of different species led to the need to revise the existing structure.
Modern taxonomy divides primates into two large suborders:
- weep-nosed, which includes lemurs memorable from the cartoon "Madagascar", as well as lesser-known lorises, galagos, indris and ah-ah bat;
- dry-nosed, which include the actual monkeys and tarsiers.
By number of species among primatesmonkeys predominate: 241 out of 369. Those that inhabit Africa and Southeast Asia are classified as narrow-nosed, and the inhabitants of the New World are called broad-nosed, or platyrrhines.
How to spot a broad-nosed monkey
The sign that determined the name of this group - a wide nasal septum - is not characteristic of all platyrrhines. But most of them have other features:
- the big toe is opposed to the rest, but the same toe is not;
- grasping tail with papillary patterns on the underside;
- no ischial calluses and cheek pouches;
- feeding mainly on leaves and insects;
- very arboreal lifestyle.
The taxonomy of the monkeys of the broad-nosed suborder is constantly being reviewed by zoologists, but two families are traditionally distinguished: cebus and marmosets. They live in the warm latitudes of the New World in tropical forests from Argentina to Mexico.
Cebus family: from funny capuchins to spider monkeys
Capuchins (cebuses) are the most famous of the broad-nosed monkeys. The Europeans "saw" monastic robes in their appearance and appreciated the intelligence of these little tomboys, thanks to which Capuchins are often kept in apartments on a par with cats. They like to live in one place, bash nuts with stones and rub their fur with any odorous substances, from formic acid to urine and expensive perfume.
Similar to capuchins, saimiris are similar in size to squirrels,however, they are able to destroy the tent camp due to the extreme degree of curiosity and the large number of flocks: up to 500 individuals.
It is difficult for a person to sleep even in the area where the howler monkeys settled. The resonators of males are so powerful that the cry of a monkey is heard for 2-3 km. Moreover, not one individual roars, but the whole community, and does this at any time of the day. In the jungles of Orinoco, the little fools also scream at night.
Bald short-tailed uakari deceive with a sad expression of their muzzle. In fact, they are sociable and inquisitive. And the spider monkeys of the koat impress with the size of the limbs and the tail, the strength of which allows them to hang with all their paws folded on their chest. Koats use their tails to pluck fruits, beg for food in zoos, and open the doors of unlocked cages.
Marmoset family: monkeys with claws
A distinctive feature of marmosets is the presence of nails only on the thumbs of the hind paws. All other fingers are equipped with claws, due to which this group is called clawed monkeys.
They are exceptionally small - fit in the palm of your hand. Silky coat, original tufts of hair on the head, docile nature often make marmosets and marmosets similar to them as pets.
Dressy and unusual tamarins - animals the size of a cat, mischievous and restless. In the taxonomy of monkeys, tamarins are somewhat different from the rest in the structure of society: in their small flocks, only one female has offspring, and she always gives birth to twins. For the rest of the groupthe honor of caring for the cubs.
The main variety of broad-nosed monkeys is in Brazil. In this regard, zoologists have two problems: to understand how primates entered the Americas, and to protect monkeys and other species from extinction associated with the development of tropical forests.
