The evolution and behavior of a primate species - Essay Example

Full s the Paper is due] The Evolution and Behavior of a Primate Species Have you ever wondered when did the first primates appear, and what were they like To illustrate the subject more clearly, a primate is defined as a member of the biological order Primates (established by Carl Linnaeus in 1758), the group that contains lemurs, the Aye-aye, lorids, galagos, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes, with the last category including humans. With the exception of humans, who are inhabitants of mostly every part of the Earth, most primates live in tropical or subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, and Asia ("Primates"). The earliest primates had developed by 60 million years ago and were small, arboreal insect eaters. Their initial adaptation to life in trees set the stage for the subsequent appearance of other primate models ("Paleoanthropology/Primates/Humans"). By "arboreal", we refer to the arboreal theory proposed by Le Gros Clark, claiming that primates evolved from their ancestors by adapting to arboreal life. Primates are thought to have developed several of their traits and habits initially while residing in trees. A key factor to this argument is that primates relied on sight over smell. They were able to develop a keen sense of depth perception, perhaps because of the constant leaping that was necessary to move about the trees. The development of the hands and feet in Primates, which made them capable of grasping, was also believed to be a result of arboreal life, which required a great deal of crawling along branches, and reaching out for food, usually fruits ("Arboreal theory"). Considered as generalist mammals (species that are able to adapt well in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make the most of a variety of different resources), primates show a wide range of characteristics. Some primates, including humans and baboons, do not live primarily in trees, but all species possess adaptations for climbing trees and the like. The evolution of primates started with the Plesiadapis going back to at least 65 mya. From that time until today, there is a vast difference in the species. In all aspects - behavioral, physical, and cognitive - the primate species have definitely transformed to adapt to its environment. Just as the gist of Charles Darwin's theory on evolution states, it is the survival of the fittest (Darwin). The species, then, transformed because of its need to survive. In the cognitive aspect, the primate's intelligence developed due to reasons that would ensure its survival. Just as apes realized the importance of arboreal locomotion, soon after, some of them have developed the skill in tool-making, and would use them to acquire food and for social displays, especially observed with chimpanzees (Byrne 559). Chimpanzees are also observed to use objects as tools to solve new and novel problems ("Paleoanthropology/Primates/Humans"). By the development of their cognitive element, the physical aspect is too, affected. Primates are particularly large-brained compared to other species, and with the growing cognition, the brain too grows in size. The physical evolution of the primate species, wherein evidences are most apparent in skulls unearthed from the different periods, is very much connected to their behavioral evolution. Also, the bones in the primate's body changed through the different eras. With the increasing intelligence of the primate species, it is then the behavior that changes and transforms. This is then the evolvement of the primates' social behavior. Behavior of primates, in relation to social systems, Richard Wrangham stated that non-human primates' social systems are best classified by the amount of movement by females occurring between groups. He proposed four categories: (1) Female transfer system. It is in this category that the females move away from a group in which they were born. The females in a group are not closely related, whereas the males usually remain with their natal group. The groups formed are generally quite small. This is usually seen in chimpanzees, where the males cooperate in defending the group's territory. (2) Male transfer systems. In this group, it is the males who move away from their natal group, and the females that remain in the group in which they were born. Polygynous and multi-male societies are classed in this category, and group sizes are usually larger. This is usually common among Ring-tailed Lemurs, capuchin monkeys, and cercopithecine monkeys. (3) Monogamous species. This is depicted by a male-female bond, sometimes with an offspring. There is shared responsibility of parental care and territorial defense. When the offspring reaches adolescence, it leaves the parents' territory. Gibbons use this system. (4) Solitary species. This is characterized often by males who defend territories that include the home ranges of several females. This type of organization is found in the prosimians. Orangutans have this system, although they do not defend their territory ("Primate"). The social behavior of the primate species includes the following aspects: the group, dominance, aggression, individual interaction, play, communication, home range, and tool use. Primates are social animals, living and traveling in groups that vary in size from species to species. Dominance and aggression are connected in the social behavior of primate species. Many primate societies are organized in hierarchies, and aggression is usually a means of increasing one's status. Among species that form monogamous pairs, the male and female are co-dominant, whereas in the lemur species, it is the female that exhibits dominance. Individual interaction, on the other hand, is the building of harmonious relationships among each other in the group. This is usually demonstrated by touching, hand holding, hugging, and among chimpanzees, kissing. This minimizes violence and avoids dangerous situations in groups. Play is one of the primary social behaviors of primate species. For their infants and juveniles, this is a means of learning about their environment, testing strength, and generally learning how to behave as adults. Just like any other animal, Primates, too, vocalize. They usually create sounds, accompanied by certain facial or body movements in order to convey a message. Among others, they are noted to have warning calls, threat calls, defense calls, and gathering calls. Home range is where the territoriality of the primate species is exhibited. This usually depends on the size of the group and ecological factors, such as food availability. Some primate species may defend their home range, while others may not. Just as the primate species have increased intelligence due to their cognitive evolution, they too developed the behavior of needing tools. Although Gorillas in the wild, for one, do not make tools or use them in any significant way, chimpanzees are observed to do so. Their behavior proves them to be more prepared, as they usually gather objects which later on they could use as tools. Examples of these are the use stalks of grass to collect termites, use leaves as wipes of sponges to get water out of a hollow to drink, and use rocks as hammers and anvils to open palm nuts and hard fruits ("Paleoanthropology/Primates/Humans"). Thus, it is evident that the evolution of a primate species influences the behavior it possesses. This shows that the differences between humans and primates are of degree, rather than kind Works Cited Byrne, Richard W. "Evolution of Primate Cognition." Cognitive Science 24.3 (2000): 559. 29 Apr 2009. Darwin, Charles Robert. Origin of the Species. New York: P.F. Collier & Son Co., 1909-14. "Arboreal theory." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Dec 2008, 13:52 UTC. 30 Apr 2009. . "Paleoanthropology/Primates/Humans." Wikibooks. 27 Jul 2008. 28 Apr 2009. . "Primate." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 27 Apr 2009. 21:59 UTC. 29 Apr 2009. . Read More