| the pelvic girdle; the bowl-shaped ring of
bones in the hip region at the base of the torso, supporting the spinal
column and resting on the legs. |
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| having five digits on the end of feet and hands. This
trait is characteristic of all primates except for the spider monkey which
has five toes on each foot but only four fingers each hand. |
| the field of view outside of the line of direct site.
Primates only see two dimensions (2-D) peripherally since these are areas
beyond their overlapping field of view. See stereoscopic vision. |
| the infraclass of mammal species in which females produce
a placenta to connect the fetus to the uterus. This enables nutrients and
oxygen to get to the fetus and provides a means of eliminating waste products.
As a result, placental mammals can carry their young within the uterus until
late in fetal development. This has a selective advantage because it results
in decreased infant mortality. Placental mammals are also called Eutherian
mammals. Included in this infraclass are dogs, cats, bears, whales, monkeys,
humans, etc. |
| A mating system. A female has several male
mates in this breeding system. Females have greater reproductive variance
than males'. Polyandry is uncommon. No primate species is purely polyandrous.
Some mating relationships in tamarins are polyandrous but most are monogamous.
Mates provide extensive paternal care in polyandrous relationships. |
| A mating system. A male has several female
mates. Male reproductive variance is greater than females'. Classic primate
examples: baboons, gorillas, langurs. |
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| the ability to physically grasp something.
All primates have prehensile hands. With the exception of humans, they all
also have prehensile feet. The larger New World monkeys (Cebidae) have prehensile
tails as well. Some marsupials living in the eastern islands of Indonesia
and New Guinea also have this characteristic. |