The Primates
Photo Left: The Emperor Tamarin; Wikimedia Commons
Primate Classifcation
- Order Primates
- Suborder Strepsirrhini: lemurs, galagos and lorisids
- Infraorder Lemuriformes
- Superfamily Lemuroidea
- Family Cheirogaleidae: dwarf lemurs and mouse-lemurs (31 species)
- Family Daubentoniidae: aye-aye (one species)
- Family Lemuridae: ring-tailed lemur and allies (22 species)
- Family Lepilemuridae: sportive lemurs (26 species)
- Family Indriidae: woolly lemurs and allies (19 species)
- Superfamily Lorisoidea
- Superfamily Lemuroidea
- Infraorder Lemuriformes
- Suborder Haplorhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes
- Infraorder Tarsiiformes
- Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers (10 species)
- Infraorder Simiiformes (or Anthropoidea)
- Parvorder Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
- Family Callitrichidae: marmosets and tamarins (42 species)
- Family Cebidae: capuchins and squirrel monkeys (17 species)
- Family Aotidae: night or owl monkeys (douroucoulis) (10 species)
- Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris (42 species)
- Family Atelidae: howler, spider, woolly spider and woolly monkeys (28 species)
- Parvorder Catarrhini
- Superfamily Cercopithecoidea
- Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys (135 species)
- Superfamily Hominoidea
- Family Hylobatidae: gibbons or "lesser apes" (17 species)
- Family Hominidae: great apes, including humans (seven species)
- Superfamily Cercopithecoidea
- Parvorder Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
- Infraorder Tarsiiformes
- Suborder Strepsirrhini: lemurs, galagos and lorisids
Web Resources
Discovery Life - Primates
Animal Planet - Primates
Live Science - Species Topic: Monkey
National Geographic - Grave of Giant Lemurs Discovered in Madagascar Underwater Cave
Discovery Life - Primates
Animal Planet - Primates
Live Science - Species Topic: Monkey
National Geographic - Grave of Giant Lemurs Discovered in Madagascar Underwater Cave
Jan. - May Lesson #8 Videos
Live Class #1
(Spring Mar. - May) Videos
(Spring Mar. - May) Videos
The Callitrichid Genera
Poster Right: Major existing callitrichid genera: Callithrix, Leontopithecus, Saguinus, Cebuella, Mico, Callimico. All are arboreal, or live mainly in trees. They are the smallest of the simian) primates. They eat insects, fruit, and tree or gum sap from trees and sometimes small invertebrates. Wikipedia
Projects & Activities
Journal Entry - Primates
Guidelines: Scroll down and locate the BBC - Natural World - Clever Monkey. Watch the clip. You'll have to follow the rest of the series on You Tube. Make a journal entry about your thoughts regarding the primates behavior. Use any or all of the questions below to help you get started.
1. What humorous antics or acts of violence of the primates do you remember from either or both movie clips?
2. How did the primates in both videos reveal their intelligence?
3. In what ways is primate society similar to human society? Different?
Activity: Going to the zoo and photographing primates
Guidelines: Go to your local zoo and check out any primates they may have. Observe the primates activity and behavior and take videos and or photographs of them. Journal about your experience in your mammals field journal. Make sketches in your journal from memory or from photographs.
Journal Entry - Primates
Guidelines: Scroll down and locate the BBC - Natural World - Clever Monkey. Watch the clip. You'll have to follow the rest of the series on You Tube. Make a journal entry about your thoughts regarding the primates behavior. Use any or all of the questions below to help you get started.
1. What humorous antics or acts of violence of the primates do you remember from either or both movie clips?
2. How did the primates in both videos reveal their intelligence?
3. In what ways is primate society similar to human society? Different?
Activity: Going to the zoo and photographing primates
Guidelines: Go to your local zoo and check out any primates they may have. Observe the primates activity and behavior and take videos and or photographs of them. Journal about your experience in your mammals field journal. Make sketches in your journal from memory or from photographs.