Lemurs: lemurs are endemic to Madagascar and can only be found on this island. Most of the species are arboreal and spend most of their time in trees and bushes. Most parts of the moist and tropical rainforests in the island are home to these animals. There are even desert areas on this island which are also known to serve as lemurs habitat. While most lemurs species enjoy their time high up in trees and bushes, the ring-tailed lemurs prefer being terrestrial
The locomotor behavior of the lemurs is very diverse and their diversity
Lemur Species | Locomotion Behavioral Characteristic |
Indris | Vertical clinging and leaping |
Bamboo lemurs | Vertical clinging and leaping |
Mesopropithecus | Slow arboreal quadrupedal |
True lemurs | Fast arboreal quadrupedal |
Ruffed lemurs | Fast arboreal quadrupedal |
Ring-tailed Lemur | Partially terrestrial quadrupedal |
Monkey lemurs | Highly terrestrial quadrupedal |
Sloth lemurs | Sloth-like suspensory locomotion |
Spider monkeys: they can be found in the forests of Mexico, Central America, and South America. The spider monkeys prefer to be in areas of the rainforests and the semi deciduous forests as well. It has been observed that the spider monkeys rarely come down to the ground level. They prefer to be in the upper portions of the trees.
They use several different types of locomotion: quadrupedal, using all four limbs for locomotion as seen while walking or running; suspensory locomotion used when hanging, climbing or moving through the trees and bipedalism, using only two limbs when leaping. Quadrupedal locomotion is usually observed if the monkey is on a stable relatively substrate free of obstacles.
Baboon: The baboon lives in Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. They can be found living from the sea level to 2600 metres. Baboons are extremely adaptable, the major requirement that baboons need for any habitat are water, and safe sleeping places. Baboons like to sleep either in tall trees or on cliff faces. Baboons locomotor pattern is quadrupedal and on their digits. Walking on their digits means walking on their toes with the heels not touching the ground. This is known as being a digitigrade quadrupedalism
Gibbons: They live in the deciduous and evergreen rainforests of Southeast Asia. They are arboreal and are very rarely observed on the ground. Spending less than 1% of their time on the ground.
Gibbon’s Locomotor patterns is brachiating when they brachiate, they use four fingers of their hands like a hook (but not the thumb). They can also walk along small branches high up in the air, like tightrope walkers; they use outstretched arms to help keep their balance. Gibbons can also leap acrobatically across large gaps in the tree canopy from tree branch to tree branch
Chimpanzees: live in a wide variety of habitats, including tropical rain forests (in the forest edges and clearings), woodlands, swamp forests, and grasslands in western Africa. While they spend equal time on land and in trees, they do most of their feeding and sleeping in trees.
Locomotion and posture of chimpanzees are quadrupedal and bipedal. the common chimpanzee moves on the ground it moves quadrupedally and bipedally. In addition, in the tree this species also moves in a quadrupedal manner
The ways in how the primates move are very relative to their environment. The above primates show different types of displacement that can be classified in: leaping, arboreal quadrupeds, terrestrial quadrupeds and bipedism. The environment was creating different needs for the primates, so they developed these abilities to survive. In addition, one interesting thing about living in the trees is that it helps primates to be safer from many predators.
Leaping is present in arboreal species to move between discontinuous supports
The arboreal quadrupeds is more appropriate to move from a continuous branches, and is safer for large primates.
Terrestial quadrupeds help move easily land on solid ground.
Bipedism is a form arboreal locomotion in which the primates can swinging from tree branches, only using their arms.
To conclude, it is important to say that the locomotion of the primates is the response of their adaptation to survive in their environment.
It is really interesting to know about the locomotor patterns of these primates! people see these animals but they never seem to stop and question themselves about how they became to be and evolve and how the environmet has to do a lot in the way that they move and adapt to it! I like your post and the way you displayed it!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was so much variation between locomotion patterns of different primate species. I guess I just never really stopped to think about it. Smaller primates would be targeted by predators and would be safer living in the trees. But the larger primates, like the baboons and gorillas, would probably feel more comfortable on the ground, as tree branches may not seem as sturdy. But while they are sleeping, they seem to all prefer to be up off the ground and away from predators. Am I understanding that right?
ReplyDeleteAs Lanie said, it is fascinating to find out how many different locomotor behavoirs there are for each species. Even more, how each species will change their locomotor depending on where they are and what they are doing; in a tree, on the ground,running walking or swinging. My favorite locomotor pattern is the digitigrade quadrupedalism. I love the image of the Baboon walking on his delicate fingers.
ReplyDeleteVery good discussion. I will only make one small adjustment in your thought processes regarding bipedalism. When the term "bipedalism" is used, it usually refers to the use of just the two hind legs, as in humans. When a primate uses just its two for limbs, it takes on entirely different names, such as brachiation for the gibbons. In the case of new world monkeys, they swing with their arms and push off with their legs and feet, so technically it is called arboreal quadrupedalism, since all four limbs are involved.
ReplyDeleteWe are true bipeds because we essentially never use our arms for our day-to-day locomotion. Does that make sense?
I agree with Lanie and Agrayson it is fascinating to know about all the different locomotor behaviors and I also like the adjustment that Mrs. Rodriguez wrote it made me think for a second and realize how it made sense I learnt a lot of new facts about primates!
ReplyDeletefirst of all, thank you guys to comment in my blog. secondly, I am not a expert primatologists, but I think that understood the information very well. to conclude, professor I completely understand that as humans we are true bipeds and thank you for clarify my mistake...
ReplyDelete