The order of Primates is a group of Mammals which includes animals such as lemurs, gibbons, gorillas, chimpanzees, and among others, man. In this group of animals we can find species like the pygmy mouse-Lemur, which on average weighs about 50g, and gorillas, which can weigh about 175kg. They have relatively large brains, a sharp vision and thumbs opposable to the other fingers. They are social animals and may relate to each other in different ways (they can form couples or groups which can be formed by individuals of the same species or different species, for example). Most species inhabit forests. The primates have relatively long pregnancies and have small litters (usually 1 baby, occasionally occurring litters of 2 or 3 babies).
General anatomical features
Primates have five fingers on each limb, as well as opposable thumbs. Thanks to these characteristics, primates have a good gripping ability and great mobility in the fingers. Primates have nails instead of claws, which gives them a higher tactile sensitivity.
Comparatively to other animals of approximately the same size, primates have large skulls, allowing a greater development of the brain. Moreover, the primate brain is highly specialized, which can be manifested by the differentiation of different parts of the brain or by the presence of folds and convolutions that increase the area of nervous tissue present.
Locomotion
Primates can move in different ways:
– Quadrupeds: quadruped animals move using their 4 limbs; this kind of movement occurs, for example, in gorillas;
– Brachiation: the animal clings to a branch of a tree and swings its body in order to reach another branch; some animals perform this type of locomotion using only the limbs, others also use the tail, which allows a better balance and in some cases is even used for clinging to branches or trunks – in this case the tail is designated prehensile tail; gibbons move by brachiation;
– Bipedal: bipedal animals move using 2 limbs; their heels are developed, in order to give a better support to the whole body; man is a bipedal animal.
References
– Braquiação: um tipo de locomoção!. Available: http://zoo-centro-pedagogico.blogspot.pt/2012/02/braquiacao-um-tipo-de-locomocao.html. Lase accessed 28-07-2015.
– Myers, P. (2000). Primates. Available: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Primates/. Last accessed 28-07-2015.
