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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
primates |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
13
extant families |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
233
extant species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Long
arms with opposable thumbs; body hair over most
of body; shortened nose (rostrum); forward-looking
eyes; opposable first digits on forelimbs and hind
limbs |
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| SIZE: |
Varies
according to species |
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| WEIGHT: |
The
smallest living primate is the pygmy mouse lemur,
which weighs approximately 30 g (1.05 lbs). The
largest is the gorilla, which weighs on average
of about 175 kg (385 lbs). |
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| DIET: |
Some
species eat leaves or fruit; others are insectivorous
or carnivorous; certain species are omnivorous |
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| GESTATION: |
Varies
according to species |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Varies
according to species |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Varies
according to species |
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| RANGE: |
Varies
according to species |
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| HABITAT: |
Most
dwell in tropical forests |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Certain
species are listed |
| CITES |
All
primates are at least Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Certain
species are listed |
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| 1. |
Baboons
have complex social structures with anywhere from
8 to 200 individuals per troop. They use at least
10 different vocalizations to communicate. When
traveling as a group, males will lead; females and
young stay safe in the middle and less dominant
males bring up the rear. Young chimps learn to create
tools from objects in their environment by watching
others; they use sticks to extract termites to eat
and crumple leaves to soak up water to drink. |
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| 2. |
Just
like people, mother chimpanzees often develop lifelong
relationships with their offspring. |
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| 3. |
Lemurs
get their name from the Ancient Roman belief that
they were ghosts or spirits. They were mistaken
for specters because of their nocturnal, stealth
habits. |
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| 4. |
Lemurs
rely on their sense of smell as a way of communicating
with other animals. They have special scent glands
on their wrists and bottoms that leave scent trails
on branches to mark their territories. |
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| 5. |
The
intimidating chest-beating charge of a male gorilla
is usually a bluff to scare off intruders while
the rest of his band disappears into the forest.
However, it is also used in play as well. |
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| 6. |
Wild
gorillas are difficult to study because they are
shy, secretive inhabitants of densely vegetated
tropical forests. |
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| 7. |
"Marmoset"
is derived from the French "marmouset"
which means, loosely, shrimp or dwarf. An apt name,
considering they are the smallest of the true monkeys
(the lightest of the true monkeys is the pygmy marmoset). |
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| 8. |
These
monkeys use their specialized claws to establish
a firm grip on tree trunks and gnaw little holes
in the bark with their lower incisors and canines.
This causes the tree to produce more sap, which
is used to seal injuries to the bark. This tree
sap is a valuable source of carbohydrates and minerals. |
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| 9. |
By
following wild chimps through the forests, scientists
discovered that chimps use medicinal plants to treat
themselves for illness and injury. Scientists have
isolated an anti-tumor agent in one such plant! |
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| 10. |
The
spider monkey's prehensile tail acts as an extra
limb. The tail has a hairless patch on the tip that
is used for grip. This hairless patch is unique
in its markings, just like the human fingerprint. |
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| 11. |
A
female spider monkey's clitoris is very protuberant
and can be mistaken for a penis. It acts as a reservoir
for urine. The male is able to smell when a female
is in estrus. |
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| 12. |
The
Old World monkeys of the subfamily Colobinae have
a specially adapted stomach that is sacculated and
supports bacterial colonies. These bacteria make
it possible for digestion of cellulose in their
diet of leaves, unripe fruit, and seeds. |
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| 13. |
The
differences between monkeys and apes are easy to
see once you know what to look for. Apes do not
have a tail and are generally larger than most other
primates. They have a more upright body posture
as well. Apes rely more on vision than on smell
and have a short broad nose rather than a snout,
as Old World monkeys do. Apes have a larger brain
relative to the body size than other primates do. |
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| 14. |
Old
World monkeys are generally from Africa and Asia
while New World monkeys are from the Americas. In
Old World monkeys, the nostrils face downward and
are narrow. New World monkeys have round nostrils
facing to the side. Old World primates are usually
larger than New World's. Many of the Old World monkeys
are partly terrestrial. |
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Many
primates struggle from the bushmeat trade, logging,
and habitat destruction. In Africa, forest is
often referred to as 'the bush', thus wildlife
and the meat derived from it is referred to as
'bushmeat'. This term applies to all wildlife
species, including threatened and endangered,
used for meat. Unfortunately, nearly all African
primates fall victim to the trade.
Busch
Gardens is proud of its long-standing relationship
with the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center,
Emory University, Atlanta, Ga., the site of some
of the most well-respected primate research programs
in the world. Busch Gardens has partnered with
the Yerkes Center on several primate conservation
research programs including the Tana River Primate
Research Center in Southeast Kenya and in-park
behavioral research carried out by Frans de Waal,
Ph.D. and his staff at the Yerkes Center.
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|
| Ghiglieri,
Michael P. East of the Mountains of the Moon.
New York: Free Press, 1988. |
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| Goodall,
Jane. In the Shadow of Man. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin,
1971. |
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|
Nowak,
Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World.
Vol. I. Baltimore: Johns-Hopkins University
Press, 1991.
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| Parker,
Sybil P. (ed.). Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. II. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
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| http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/factsheets/ |
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