Bobbie Kalman & Heather Levigne Company www.crabtreebooks.com
The Science of Living Things Series A Bobbie Kalman Book To David who loves and inspires me Editor-in-Chief Bobbie Kalman Writing team Bobbie Kalman Heather Levigne Managing editor Lynda Hale Editors Jane Lewis Kate Calder Hannelore Sotzek John Crossingham Computer design Lynda Hale Production coordinator Hannelore Sotzek Photographs Wolfgang Kaehler: page 24 (bottom left) Tom Stack and Associates: Nancy Adams: pages 18, 23 (top); Larry Lipsky: page 13 (top); Joe McDonald: pages 10 (top), 11 (top); Gary Milburn: pages 5, 27 (both), 28 (top); Mark Newman: page 4; Denise Tackett: pages 22, 28 (bottom); Larry Tackett: page 26 (both); Roy Toft: pages 3, 9, 10 (bottom), 11 (bottom), 14, 19 (top), 31 (top) Michael Turco: front cover, title page, 8, 12, 13 (bottom), 15, 17 (top, bottom), 19 (bottom), 21 (top), 24 (top), 25 (both), 30 Art Wolfe: pages 16, 20, 21 (bottom), 23 (bottom), 24 (bottom right), 29, 31 (bottom) Other images by Digital Stock and Eyewire, Inc. Illustrations Barbara Bedell: pages 5 (bottom), 22 Company www.crabtreebooks.com 1-800-387-7650 Copyright 2012 CRABTREE PUBLISHING COMPANY. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Company. In Canada: We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities. Due to rights restrictions and copyright protection, contents in this ebook may vary from the published original. The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Kalman, Bobbie What is a primate? (The science of living things) Includes index. ISBN 0-86505-922-5 (RLB) -- ISBN 0-86505-950-0 (pbk.) This book examines the physiology, feeding and reproductive habits, and social behavior of each group of primates, including chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, gibbons, Old World and New World monkeys, marmosets, and humans. 1. Primates--Juvenile literature. [1. Primates.] I. Levigne, Heather. II. Title. II. Series: Kalman, Bobbie. Science of living things. QL737.P9K245 1999 j599.8 LC 99-13164 CIP Published in Canada 616 Welland Ave. St. Catharines, Ontario L2M 5V6 Published in the United States PMB 59051 350 Fifth Avenue, 59th Floor New York, New York 10118 Published in the United Kingdom Maritime House Basin Road North, Hove BN41 1WR Published in Australia 3 Charles Street Coburg North VIC, 3058
Contents What is a primate? 4 The primate family tree 6 A primate s body 8 Get my message? 10 Chimpanzees 12 Bonobos 14 Orangutans 16 Gorillas 18 Gibbons 20 Old World monkeys 22 New World monkeys 24 Prosimians 26 Marmosets and tamarins 28 How are people different? 30 Primates in danger 31 Words to know and Index 32
What is a primate? 4 Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom. Monkeys, apes, lemurs, and humans all belong to a group of living things called primates. Primates are mammals. A mammal s body has fur or hair, which keeps the animal warm when it is cold and helps it stay cool when it is hot.
Brain power Primates are intelligent animals. They have large brains. Primates such as chimpanzees and capuchins can learn how to use rocks and twigs as tools. Some chimps and gorillas have even been trained to add numbers or use sign language. Family life Most primates live in families. Some live in pairs, and others live in troops of up to 100 members. Family members care for and protect one another. How many members are there in your family? (right) Ring-tailed lemurs are small primates that are about the size of a house cat. Primates are the only mammals that have hands. Each hand has four fingers and one thumb. The palms are hairless and sensitive to touch. A primate s hand is prehensile, or able to grasp. Primates use their hands to pick up objects or hold onto branches. Many have prehensile feet as well. Other mammals have paws that are not prehensile. They do not have thumbs. Unlike primates, these animals cannot grasp objects. 5
The primate family tree Scientists believe that primates evolved from a small mammal that lived in trees. The brain, skull, muscles, and reproductive system of this ancestor were similar to those of primates today. Different types There are over 200 species of primates. They are divided into two groups prosimians and anthropoids. Tarsiers, lemurs, lorises, and bush babies are prosimians. Humans, apes, monkeys, marmosets, and tamarins, are anthropoids. A monkey or an ape? Do you know the difference between an ape and a monkey? A simple way to tell is to look for a tail monkeys have tails, whereas apes do not. Most monkeys are smaller than apes and spend more time in trees. Chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas, show above, are called great apes. They are the largest primates. 6 Smallest and biggest The tiniest primate is the mouse lemur, which weighs less than three ounces (85 g). It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand! Gorillas are the largest primates. A gorilla can weigh up to 380 pounds (172 kg). Prosimians, such as this crowned lemur, are the smallest of all the primates. They live in trees.