Lemurs
a.) These
primates live in Madagascar Islands or Comoro Islands which is on the
Southeast coast of Africa and have evolved with the ability to live
in an extreme seasonal environment. Lemurs deal with disgustingly
dry weather all the way to drenching wet weather. They are called
arboreal which is why they live in trees, but there are also some
that live on the ground too. During the rainy seasons, most Lemurs
live in the rain forest because there are more food there but will
leave once the seasons over. These primates will adapt easily to any
environment they're given.
b.)
Lemurs vary on body size, depending on the type of Lemurs you are
looking at, however, in general they're very small in size. Their
length is between 90 centimeters and 110 centimeters. They have long
pointy noses that allows them to smell which is what they depend
heavily on. They rely on their balance skills. They vary on weight
from 1.1 ounces to about 20 pounds. Compared to an anthropoid
primate, their brain to body size ratio is smaller. It's the same
for male and female lemurs, not much of a difference in size
regardless of their gender, although their colors are different.
Lemurs lack sexual dimorphism, however, they show sexual
dichromatism, which is when males and females of the same species
show different patterns and color fur. Males posses black/dark
chocolate fur while females are
lighter brown/chestnut color.
c.)
The
lemurs are relatively small and have mess body mass then most
primates. When in the rain forest, jumping from tree to tree, they
have the ability to throw themselves a lot further then most primates
larger then them. Lemurs weigh less and since they're smaller,
they're able to hide up in trees from their predators easily. Their
body size is huge advantage in their habitat because it enables them
to either be on the ground or up in the trees. Most of them live in
trees, however, larger Lemurs supposedly live on the ground.
Spider
Monkeys
a.) Spider
monkeys are found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South
America and can be found all the way north to Mexico but some species
are also found in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. They live in
trees just like Lemurs do but prefer undisturbed evergreen
rainforests and the upper canopies. They very rarely come down to
ground level. Because they live pretty much in the upper canopy,
they are pretty well adapted to their environment in the treetops and
are fairly strong. They are considered the acrobats of New World
primates.
b.)
These primates have very little
sexual dimorphism as well. Males (about 24 pounds) tend to be
slightly larger then females (about 21 pound). Their length is about
35 centimeters including their tails. Males are more dominant than
females, however, I have read that females are the ones who scare
predators away.
c.)
The spider monkeys
characteristics allows them to adapt to their lifestyle quite well.
Their long arms allows them to swing from tree to tree, using the
hand over hand method called brachiation. Their hook type hands
gives them the ability to grip the branches and swing right off of
them to the next one and their tails are strong enough to hold their
whole bodies. These prehensile tails allows them to move throughout
the rainforest with security and ease.
Baboon
a.) These
primates live in the grassland of Africa, the savannas, woodlands and
some live in the tropical rainforest and baboons are very adaptable
for any environment they live in. They mostly live in tall trees or
cliff faces. They can survive a long time without water because at
night, they can lick the dew around them to give them the refreshing
water.
b.) Smaller,
thinner, and lighter baboons live in the coastal and southern Kenya
while darker and more heavy ones live in western and central Kenya.
No matter the size, both are considered “dogfaced”. They range
from 50 to 100 pounds and are 14 centimeters to 30 centimeters at the
shoulder. These primates are one of the largest primates. They are
sexual dimorphic mainly in size because the males are nearly twice as
big as females. Although, color is sometimes another sexual
dimorphism. Males are usually a white and silver color with red or
tan around their face while females are mainly just brown in color.
c.) Because
Baboons are one of the largest primates, their body size allows them
fight off predators well. They're still able to move quickly and
they live in the open grasslands of Africa enabling them to see far
in the distance in case there are predators near. Males have a
bigger body than females so they can compete for mating partners when
given the opportunity.
Gibbon
a.)
Gibbons live in the evergreen
tropical rainforest of southeast Asia and scattered in the forests of
China, Burma, Philippines, and Malaysia. They also live in the upper
branches of trees and swing from tree to tree. These primates rarely
are on the ground and when they walk, whether it be on the branches
or on the trees, they will put their arms over their heads to balance
them.
b.)
Because of their body size,
they are considered the lesser of the apes and are relatively smaller
then most apes. They have an average of 3 feet in height and weigh
around 17 and 26 pounds and their fur color could range from
cream/brown to black. These primates also show very little sexual
dimorphism. Males and females are around the same size, however,
their coloring of the skin and fur is what can be determined male or
female. Males are mainly black while females are more of a golden
color. This seems to be the way most of these primates can tell
between males and females.
c.)
Gibbons have long arms enabling
them to swing from tree to tree. They also have hook hands and when
they're in locomotion, they can move at around 35 miles an hour and
flying through gaps of 50 feet just in one leap. Their light weight
bodies and long arms is what allows them to fly through the
rainforest so quickly. Since they are rarely on the ground, they
mainly stay in the treetops which helps them stay away from
predators. Their little bodies is an advantage of them hiding in the
branches.
Chimpanzee
a.)
These
great apes only can be found in Africa starting from
the west coast of the continent to as far east as Tanzania. They also
live in the tropical rainforests, although this place used to be the
equatorial forest belt of Africa. These apes are very adaptable to
any given environment they live in. Some can adapt to open
woodlands, open savannahs, and swamp forests. Whichever habitat they
adapted to will determine their behavior. Chimps rarely venture away
from forests because they spend most of their time in the trees where
the eat, sleep, and socialize. They do not stay high in the trees,
but are in the mid to lower tree levels including the ground.
b.)
There's a difference between
the males and females in these primates because males are usually
around 75 to 150 pounds with a height between 3 to 4 feet while
females weigh around 50 to 100 pounds with a height of 2 to 3 feet.
In regards to the color, males and females have the same black hair
all over their bodies, with white beards, pale faces and prominent
ears.
c.)
Because their bodies are bigger
then most, they are able to fight off predators heading in their
direction and have long arms to enable them to travel between trees.
Their body weight, however, is what makes them not able to live in
the treetops of the rainforest like the some of the other primates.
They have bigger hands allowing them to grip the trees when traveling
on the branches.
The
environment has a huge influence on the way these primates live. All
of their long arms allow them to swing throughout the rainforests and
trees. Their body size depends on the habitat that their living in
too. Because chimpanzees and baboons have bigger bodies, some often
live on the ground while the other primates like lemurs, spider
monkeys, and gibbon are able to live in the trees because of their
light body weight. Chimps and baboons have to fight off more
predators when on the ground which is why they have bigger bodies, in
contrast to the other primates and their smaller bodies.
