Unlike
traditional academic disciplines, primatology is
characterized by the taxon of organisms studied,
not by the kinds of questions addressed. Primatologists
share an interest in non-human primates, but otherwise
are a highly diverse group including scientists,
educators, conservationists, medical researchers
and veterinarians among others. Some focus exclusively
on non-human primates; while others study primates
as models for human diseases, or as part of complex
ecosystems. While most people who identify themselves
as primatologists have post-graduate training, they
come from a wide variety of fields.
A recent survey of the membership of the American
Society of Primatologists found anthropology, psychology,
biology/zoology and veterinary science as the most
common disciplines of origin. Other represented
fields include anatomy, biochemistry, genetics,
medical science, pharmacology, and physiology. Research
interests included primate behavior, biomedical
and reproduction studies, ecology and conservation
and animal husbandry.
How do apes
differ from monkeys?
"Apes
differ from monkeys in several ways. Apes have no
tail and generally have a larger body weight than
most other primates. They have a more upright body
posture and a broad chest.... Apes rely more on
vision than on smell and have a short broad nose
rather than a snout, as Old World monkeys do. Apes
have a larger brain relative to the body size than
other primates do...."
*Rowe,
Noel. The Pictorial Guide to the Primates. New
York : Pogonias Press, 1996. P. 207
What is the
difference between Old and New World monkeys?
Old World generally refers to monkeys of Africa
and Asia; New World, to monkeys of the Americas.
In Old World monkeys, the nostrils face downward
and are narrow. New World monkeys have round nostrils
facing to the side. The dental formula of the larger
New World monkeys includes 3 premolars. Old World
monkeys have 2. Old World primates are diurnal and
generally larger than their New World counterparts.
Many of the Old World monkeys are partly terrestrial.
Old World monkeys also have flattened nails on their
digits, and most have pads (ischial callosities)
on their buttocks.
*Rowe, Noel. The Pictorial
Guide to the Primates. New York : Pogonias Press,
1996. P. 119.
How close are
humans to the apes genetically?
Humans
differ from both common chimps and bonobos in about
1.6% of DNA, and share 98.4%. Gorillas differ somewhat
more, by about 2.3%, from us and from both of the
chimps. Humans differ from orangutans by 3.6% of
DNA, and from gibbons and siamangs by 5%.
*Diamond, Jared. "The Third Chimpanzee,"
in The Great Ape Project. New York : St. Martin's
Press, 1993. Pp. 94-95.
Are new primate
species still being discovered?
Yes.
Here's an example of a recently discovered primate
species:
From the Washington Post, June 20, 1996, pg. A.04:
BRAZIL REVEALS ANOTHER
NEW PRIMATE SPECIES:
Scientists in Brazil have discovered a new species
of monkey, a squirrel-sized marmoset with plush
orange fur and razor-sharp teeth that can tear
the bark off trees. The discovery marks the sixth
time in six years that researchers have identified
a new primate species in Brazil, which is home
to almost one-third of the world's 250 primates
(NOTE that scientists differ with this amount
some claim that there are 237 species etc), the
animal group that includes humans, monkeys, great
apes, and lemurs.
Marmosets and their close cousins, tamarins, are
neotropical monkeys that live in the trees of
South and Central America. They are generally
small, the most extreme case being the pygmy marmoset,
which at about 5 ounces is the world's tiniest
monkey.
Russell A. Mittermeier, president of Conservation
International, a Washington-based ecology organization
handling publicity for the new species said, "You'd
think that the primates, our closest living relatives,
which have been closely studied for decades, would
be completely known by now. But they are not."
The new marmosets are apparently not endangered
and several are being studied in captivity, Mittermeier
said.
From USA TODAY, June 24,
1996, p. 08:
A 'ZIP' OF THE JUNGLE:
Scientists call it Callithrix saterei, but people
in the Amazon jungle have given it a name that's
as small and quick as the orange-haired marmoset
itself: "zip." The newly identified
monkey, no bigger than a squirrel, is the sixth
primate species discovered by scientists in Brazil
in the last six years. The first full scientific
description of the creature appears in the current
issue of the
Brazilian journal Goeldiana.
