Lemur
The Lemur is from the island of Madagascar. They are often said to be a link in evolution to apes and humans, but this is not true. They share morphological and behavioral traits, however. The Lemur has adapted to the harsh conditions of Madagascar very well. They can walk on two legs(bipedal) or four legs(quadrupedal). They eat a wide variety of fruit and leaves so their ability to climb is vital to their existence. A lemurs foot looks very similar to an ape or human hand.
(I thought this picture was the most interesting because you could see it's bones) Spider Monkey
The Spider Monkey is found in the tropical forest of Central and South America. There are seven species of Spider Monkey in the genus. The Spider monkey has (freakishly) long arms and legs as well as a really long tail to help it climb (brachiation). Their tails are what they rely on for balance, unlike other monkey's that use their arms. Like the Lemur, it's diet consists mainly of fruit. It also eats leaves, flowers and insects. The Spider Monkey's ability to climb to get it's food is what helps it survive. One odd fact about the Spider Monkey is that they "bark".
Baboon
The Baboon is from East Africa. They have a short tail, it does not help it in climbing. I had a lot of trouble finding information on their locomotor patterns but a lot of the pictures I saw had them waling quadrupedal. After studying East Africa, it looks very flat and desolate. I would imagine that the Baboon has adapted to this by being able to run fast (from animals that prey on it) and also walk for a long period of time on all four legs(quadrupedal). A group of Baboons is called a "Congress". Pretty funny, huh?
Gibbon
The Gibbon is found in tropical and subtropical rain forests from northeast India to Indonesia, China and the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java. Gibbons are widely known for their expert brachiation skills. Brachiation is the stereotypical way that we view monkeys - swinging from branch to branch. It is said they can do it at speeds as fast as 35mph and can make leaps of up to 26 feet. They walk on their hind legs with their arms raised up for balance. They do not rely on their tails for balance.
Chimpanzee
The Chimpanzee inhabits West and Central Africa. The Chimp's arms are a lot longer than its legs suggesting that the chimp spends more time climbing in trees (brachiation) than walking (bipedal). When Chimps do walk, they "knuckle walk" (quadrupedal) which allows their knuckles to support their body weight and hold them steady. The Chimpanzee does not have a tail that it can use for balance.
All of these primates reside in similar environments with the exception of the Baboon. The have all adapted to their environment very well. None of the primates use only one form of locomotion. They all use at least two.
A video showing the 4th form of primate transportation....the pig.
Great images!
ReplyDeleteGood discussion on the locomotive patterns (be careful about brachiation, though... Spider monkeys are not brachiators.)
I'm missing the thorough description of each environment, however. The point of the assignment was to make the connection between the adaptation and the environment and without a good description of the environmental conditions, that connection can't be made. More expansion in your final paragraph was needed as well.
The video is hilarious! Kind of feel sorry for the pig, tho...
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting that the different lengths of the arms and tails have different purposes for the survival of each animal and how each environment has influenced all of these. I do wish that there was a better description of the environments that each of these animals lives in because I find that interesting. I love how you said a group of baboons is called a congress. Also, This Video Is Amazing.
ReplyDeleteThe longer limbs of the primates to increase swinging from tree to tree was the most interesting part. Humans for the most part have longer legs than arms I would think and it's interesting to hear that its the opposite from some of our closest ancestors.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a gibbon can swing up to 35 MPH is simply astounding really. It seems like they should be able to jump further than what you listed though going at those speeds. A human can jump twenty feet on flat ground running so I would assume that swinging from trees at higher rates of speed would allow for a further jump.