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Flashcards in Primate Definition Deck (41)
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1
Q

why are most primates diurnal

A

shift from solitary to grou protection (social skills)

activity shift due to environmental factors (day length/weather) affecing food availability

2
Q

diurnal vs nocturnal

A

nocturnal= active at night (most lemurs); thought to be ancestral condition

diurnal= active in day (most primates)

3
Q

cathemeral?

A

both active in day and night (lemurs)

-> also known as metaturnality

4
Q

taxa examples of cathemerality

A

common brown lemur (E. fulvus fulvus) shift between nocturnal + diurnal states depending on food availability

mongoose lemur (goes from nocturnal to diurnal throughout year seasonallly)

5
Q

gregarious

A

group size= spending time in a social group (common)

6
Q

solitary primates

A

rare; usually with other individuals for mating/infanct dependency

7
Q

what is the ‘degree of cohesiveness’

A

whether group members remain together on a routine basis

8
Q

activity budget

A

how primates delegate time to essential activtieis:

  1. reproductive
  2. survival
  3. sociality

split between:

  • energy minimizers
  • energy maximizers
9
Q

energy minimizers: diet?

A

usually folivorous + within a territory/habitat

more time devotd to resting

less energy devoted to travelling

rely on leaves as harder to digest

10
Q

energy maximizers; diet?

A

usually fruit/high-value food (meat)

more time devoted to travelling/searching for food patches

disperesed territory

11
Q

what is diet influenced by

A

seasonal fluctations in availibty of preffered food

12
Q

types of primate diets

A

insectivirous
faunivoroes
frugivorous
folivorous

13
Q

types of primate habitats

A

semi-terrestial (arboreal + ground travelling)

arboreal

14
Q

pros + cons of arboreality

A

more at risk of injury from falling

but safer from predators

15
Q

pros + cons of semi-terriestiality

A

more at risk to predators in low visibility

mixed travelling= different food accessisble

16
Q

day range vs home range

A

day range= travel within a day

hoem range= area where a primate lives

17
Q

explain territoriality

A

territorial primates; defend an entire resources area from other species/consepectivis whereas non territorial primates tend to have their home ranges overlap

territorality—> isnt fixed (small and larger home ranges; i.e. a tree in a forest)

18
Q

qualities unique to primates: body

A
  1. oppossoble big toe/prehensile hands
  2. flat nails on hands and feet
  3. locomotion in hind-limb dominants
19
Q

qualities unique to primates” smell

A
  1. unspecialized olfactory sense reducded in idurnal primates (more focus on visual)
    exeption: lemurs
20
Q

qualities unique to primates: vision

A
  1. stereoscopic + binocular vision for 3D/depth

2. colour vision

21
Q

stereoscopic vision

A

the ability to see things in three dimensions (3-D).

Stereoscopic vision is what allows for true depth perception.

22
Q

binocular vision

A

seeing with two eyes that have an overlapping field of view.

This is essential to stereoscopic vision

23
Q

qualities unique to primates: birth

A

females= smallet litters, larger gestations

extended juvenile period in children

24
Q

qualities unique to primates: brain

A

larger brain to body ratio (neocortex ratio; white matter to grey matter)

25
Q

primate dentition

A

2 insisors
1 canine
3 premolars
(two sets) 3 molars

26
Q

body size ratio distribution according to diets?

A

insectivores < frugivorous< folivorous

27
Q

why do small primates tend to eat more high energy foods?

A

smaller body size= higher metabolism= means more energy is lost therefore relative higher energy requirements

28
Q

what must a primate diet do

A
  1. satisfy energy requirements
  2. provide specific nutrients
  3. minimize exposure to dangerous toxins
29
Q

what is food important for

A
  1. basal metabolism
  2. active metabolism
  3. growth rate
  4. reproductive effeort (+ other energy rquirements)
30
Q

folivorous primate adaptations and benefits

A
  1. larger body size/exended digestive tract
  2. more food in a given area (hence less energy expenditure/travel)= small home range
  3. ability to digest toxic leaves (special stomacts or cellulose enzymes)
31
Q

examples of folivorous primates

A

mountain gorillas
colobines (b+ w colobus monkey)
cercopithecines (red howler monkey)

32
Q

what is a primate?

A

a generalized order of mammal

specialized in ‘non specialization’ (flexible and behavioural plasticity)

33
Q

trends of arboreality?/primate

A
pendadactlity (5 digits)
flat nails
tatcile sensive pads
prehensility/grasping
tendency towards erectness
generalized denitition
reduction of olfaction 
clavicle
34
Q

mircosematic

A

‘small smellers; reliance on vision

35
Q

macrosemantic

A

‘large smllers’; reliance on smell

36
Q

types of locomotions

A
vertical climbing
upright sitting
bipedalism
brachiation 
knuckle walking
37
Q

clavicle

A

colalr bone; allows for flexible shoulder joints

38
Q

primatology?

A

bridges anthropology and zoology

39
Q

human evolution studies…

A
  1. reconstruction via fossils
  2. ethnic diversity
  3. living primates as evolutionary models
40
Q

rhinarium

A

furless skin surface surrounding the external openings of the nostrils in many mammals. ( in strepsirhines)

41
Q

dry nose animals

A

haplorhines; have no rhinarium