1. Lemurs
a. Live in trees which is why they are also called arboreal. Some species of Lemurs though that also spend time on the ground. They are only found on the Comoro Islands and Madagascar Islands. This is off of the Southeast coast of Africa.
b. Lemurs lack in sexual dimorphism in size, yet they show it in sexual dichromatic which is a differentiation through color of their fur.
c. Lemurs can vary in size from the Mouse Lemur which weighs in about 1 oz. and its body ranges from 4.5-5.5" with a 6" tail to the size of Lemur who has long been extinct which weighed in about 450 lbs. Lemurs share little in common to other primates.
2. Spider Monkey
a. Spider Monkey live in the tropics of of South and Central America from South Mexico to Brazil.
b.Their sizes range from 14 in. - 26 in. and weigh in about 13.3 lbs. As for their differences the males and female look almost the same considering the fact they have no competition amongst each other for mating.
c. Female Spider Monkey's played a bigger role than males such as when there are intruder they would make loud noises to scare off intruders.
3. Baboon
a. Baboons generally live in savannas, semi-arid habitats and some live in the tropics.
b. The Baboon size ranges from 20-40 in. and weigh from 30-80 lbs. their difference are quite visible such. The male has a silver or white mane with a somewhat tan-red face. While the females are brown in color.
c. Baboons live in groups in a size about 50 or so consisting of 7-8 males and approximately twice as many females plus their young. They have a ranking system such certain females being leaders and they don't seem to have territorial borders, but they overlap.
4. Gibbon
a. Gibbons can be found in Southeast Asia from Burman, Sumatra, China, to the Malay Peninsula.
b. Their size is fairly small which allows them to freely feed while in trees. They can weigh from 13-25 lbs. Differences in males and females is that males have black fur while females have a gold/reddish fur.
c. Gibbons live on branches. In the morning adult female Gibbons use hooting sound for territorial purposes that last around 20 minutes.
5. Chimpanzee
a. They are found in the African rain forests and in the savanna.
b. Males range from 3-4 ft. and weigh in about 150 lbs. while females range from 2-3 ft. tall and weigh in about 100lbs. Their differences can't be seen through their color, but through their sizes.
c. Their groups range from 3-6 individuals. They use gestures to indicate emotions i.e. sign language.
For lemurs, do you see a connection between their body sizes and how much time they spend in the trees or one the ground? Why don't they exhibit significant amounts of sexual dimorphism other than fur color?
ReplyDeleteGood connection between lack of mate competition in spider monkeys and their lack of sexual dimorphism. What is the connection between their general body size and their environment?
In addition to larger body size and differences in color, male baboons also have larger canines, another way of expressing dimorphism. Why do males need to be larger and more threatening? How can this be explained in terms of their environment? Baboons also tend to be larger in general. Can you explain this in terms of there tendency to spend more time on the ground?
Good description of gibbons and chimpanzees and their sexual dimorphism. Can you explain for both of these primates why they have their body size and levels of sexual dimorphism in terms of their environment? Why do chimpanzee males need to be bigger and gibbon males don't?
Missing summary?
Hi Patrick,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job describing each primate's traits without overloading the reader with information, (thats what I did in my post lol). You were concise and straight to the point. I loved that the photos you used are group shots, so cute!
I wish you had included a summary at the end so I could regroup but otherwise, great job!