Comparitive Primate

         

Lemurs

 



  Lemurs are a primate in the sub-order Stepsirhini. They live on the island of Madagascar and have survived because of their isolation. All Lemurs are at least partly arboreal and spend little time on the ground. They move through trees by running along branches and leaping. 

  

      Lemurs have a dental formula of 2-1-3-3. 2 incisors, 1 canine, 3 premolars, 3 molars. They have a dental comb or of lower incisors and canines. Their upper incisors are sererated from each other by wide spaces an the lower premolars are canine-like. The modified dental comb of the Lemur is ideal for the tree, fruit and insect diet of these arboreal animals and also serve as a grooming tool. These dental combs are used for combing the fur. There is indirect evidence that condylarths used this structure in the same way, millions of years before tooth combs evolved in prosimians. Grooming is an important bonding ritual in their groups.

Spider Monkey
   Spider Monkeys live in the rainforests of Central and South America in the highest part of the rainforest canopies. These Platyrrhines live in band of up to thirty-five but forage in smaller sub-groups to lessen the competition for food. Their diets consist primarily of, but is not limited to, fruit, seeds and plants. These primates are highly hunted by humans and predator animal species.
    
Like all New World Monkeys, they have a dental formula of 2-1-3-3. 2 incisors, 1 canine, 3 premolars and 3 molars. They have large incisors that are adapted to deal with a minimally resistant pulp of a choice fruit, and small molars with rounded cusps. Which is important for these arboreal primates

 

 

 

Baboon

    Baboons are indigenous to Africa and Arabia. These Old World Monkeys prefer the Savannah and other semi-arid places. Baboons sometimes climb trees but spend most of their time on the ground grazing and foraging. They are opportunistic eaters and have a highly various diet ranging from fruit and plants to carnivorous meals such as small rodents or larger animals like antelope or sheep.
  
 Baboons have heavily rigid skulls and the rostrum is rather long. The Dental formula of the Baboon is 2-1-2-3. 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars.  The medial incisors are broad and spoon shaped, upper canines are usually large and separated from incisors by a small diastema. The first lower premolar is enlarged and its edge shears against the sharp posterior edge of upper canine. On the lower molars, a hypoconulid is present. Long Canines on a male Baboons are adaptations for male-male competition, usually for a female. Their teeth also allow them to chew food as efficiently as a Zebra.

 Gibbon

     Gibbons are found in the rainforests of Southeast, South and East Asia. They are small bi-pedal, arboreal apes. They forage the upper canopies of the rainforest for leaves, fruit, insects and birds. Their habitat is declining rapidly leaving them to be captured and sold as pets or killed.
   
   These endangered tree dwellers have a  dentition pattern of  2, 1, 2, 3. 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars. Their short rostra and teeth resemble those of great apes. Their molars are bunodont and lack lophs. The upper molars usually have a cingulum, which is sometimes large. The canines are prominent but not sexually dimorphic.
   

   

Chimpanzee

   Our closest living relatives live in the African rain forests, woodlands and grasslands. They live in communites of several dozen. Chimpanzees do most of their eating and sleeping in trees which they can move quite efficiently through by swinging when they aren't knuckle walking on the ground. They have a various diet but generally feed on fruit and plants.

            They have a dental formula of 2-1-2-3. 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars and 3 molars. Anthropologists have found a link between the the dentition of the Chimpanzee and their diet. Their sharp blades or their thin enamel allows them to shred leaves which is their primary diet while most of their eating is done in trees.