Locomotor Patterns in Primates

ABC: Locomotor Patterns

 a. A thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives. (10 pts total)

Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)

-          Lemurs live in the tropical forest of Madagascar. In fact, lemurs are exclusive to the forest on the island of Madagascar and are found nowhere else (naturally) on earth. They are found primarily in the secondary forests.

Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)

-          Spider monkeys reside in the tropical forests of Central and South America. They are found all the way from Southern Mexico to Brazil in said tropical rainforests. Spider monkeys need large areas of moist evergreen forests and prefer undisturbed primary forest. They live in the upper layers of the rainforest and forage in the high canopy.

Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)

-           Baboons are primarily found in lower-central part of Africa. They reside in Zambia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique. They prefer African woodland savannas.   

Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)

-          Gibbons are found in tropical and subtropical rainforests from northeast India to Indonesia, northern and southern China, including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and Java.

Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)

-          Chimpanzees are found in west and central Africa. They can be located on either side of the Congo River. Their natural habitats are mainly rainforests. They do most of their eating and sleeping in the forest canopy.  They also reside in swamps, savannas, woodlands, and bamboo forests. They move about both in trees and on the ground equally.

  

b. A description of your specified character trait for that primate. (10 pts total)

Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)

-          Arboreal quadrupedalism, terrestrial  quadrupedalism, leaping and suspension.

Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)

-          Arboreal quadrupedalism, terrestrial quadrupedalism, brachiation, leaping and suspension.

Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)

-          Arboreal quadrupedalism and terrestrial  quadrupedalism

Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)

-          Arboreal quadrupedalism, terrestrial  quadrupedalism, brachiation, and suspension.

Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)

-          Arboreal quadrupedalism, terrestrial quadrupedalism, knuckle walking, bipedalism brachiation, and leaping.

c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has been influenced by its environment, i.e., how can the trait be viewed as an adaptation to the primate’s environment. (10 pts total)

Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)

-          Lemurs’ environment is very thick with branches and greenery as far as they eye can see.  Their terrestrial quadrupedalism is used to scour for fruit, nuts, leaves, and insects on the forest floor. Arboreal quadrupedalism is used to maneuver through the trees and to be well suited to movement on trees. Leaping and suspension are used to quickly move from tree to tree.

Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)

-          Spider monkeys’ environment is extremely dense and lush with plant life in every direction.  Their terrestrial quadrupedalism is secondary to their arboreal quadrupedalsm. Terrestrial quadrupedalism is used to scour for food on the forest floor. Arboreal quadrupedalism and brachiation is for superior maneuverability through the thick branches. They swing from branch to branch as well as leaping and suspend.

Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)

-          Baboons are not the most agile of the monkeys. They mainly exercise their arboreal quadrupedalism and terrestrial  quadrupedalism. This most likely has to do with the fact that they spend a lot of time in savannas which aren't known for dense tree population. They move through the trees with ease but not nearly as well as spider monkey. They do a lot of terrestrial quadrupedalism to gather food on the ground. Berries, figs, fruits, insects, smaller monkeys, and smaller animals are all part of the baboons environment.

Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)

-          Considering that Gibbons live in dense rainforests it makes sense that they’ve developed such long arms. With these long arms they are able to use brachiation to travel quickly and efficiently through the rainforest.

Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)

-          Chimpanzees are the most versatile of the monkeys. They are found in multiple climates and environments. This versatility may explain why they exhibit an extraordinary amount of intelligence. They are known to fashion tools which was previously thought to be a trait exclusive to humans. Diverse environments explains why the chimpanzee has excellent locomotor skills and can adapt to a wide array of environments.

d. An image of that primate, preferably displaying the trait you are studying, if possible. (5 pts total)

Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)

Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini)

Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)

Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)

Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)