Primate characteristics

Generalized diet and teeth

Primate characteristics The senses and the brain:

› Color vision (diurnal primates only)

Primate characteristics The senses and the brain:

› Stereoscopic vision (depth perception) Eyes to the front Visual information from each eye

transmitted to visual centers in both hemispheres in the brain

Visual information processed by specialized brain structures

TARSIER

Primate characteristics The senses and the brain:

› Large and complex brains Visual information processing Large areas involved with the hand

Primate characteristics Maturation, Learning and Behavior

› Long gestation› Single births instead of litters› Delayed maturation› Tendency to live in mixed-age groups› Dependence on learned behavior

Primate Sociality Theories:

› Improved access to food› Protection from predators

Juvenile Dependency

Primate Sociality Types of groups:

› Multi-male/multi-female

› Most common type.› Chimps and Bonobos usually live in mm/mf

fission-fusion groups.

Primate Sociality Types of groups:

› Pair-bond

› Examples: Gibbons and Siamangs, some monkeys

Gibbons

Primate Sociality Types of groups: One-Male/Multi

Female› Gorilla

Gorillas

Primate Sociality: Dominance

Primate Sociality: grooming

Primate sociality: food sharing

Socioecology The study of animals and their habitats

that looks for patterns of relationship between the environment and social behavior.

Socioecology

Assumes that the various components of an environment have evolved together.

Socioecology Food (amounts, qualities, distribution) Distribution of water Predators (distribution, types) Distribution of sleeping sites Activity patterns (nocturnal/diurnal) Relationships with other species Impact of human activities

Socioecology Of the baboon…

› (MM/MF)› Savanna › Predators can be common

Of the Slow Loris…› Solitary foraging› Insectivor › Slow moving

Sociobiology The study of the relationship between

behavior and natural selection. Sociobiological theory states that certain behaviors or behavioral pattern have been selected for because they increase reproductive success in individuals.

Sociobiology Infanticide K-selection (vs. r-selection) Male / Female behaviors Sexual dimorphism

Challenges to sociobiology The lack of long-term data:

› On demography› On social behavior› Resource distribution

Little data on relatedness through male line

How to assign reproductive costs and benefits to particular behaviors