1. Lemurs
a. Lemurs reside in tropical rain forest environment, mainly on the island of Madagascar.
b. Their teeth are heterodent; their bottom incisors and canine teeth are procumbent (outward pointing) making them good for grooming.
c. These dentition patterns are specific to lemurs due to their habitat and environment. Their teeth make it perfect for grooming and growing accustomed to Madagascar climate.
d.
2. Spider Monkey
a. The spider monkey lives in tropical rain forests of central and South America. Usually spider monkeys live high up in evergreen trees and rarely come down.
b. Spider monkeys have two sets of incisors, one set of canines, three sets of premolars, and three molars in each quadrant.
c. Since spider monkeys live in trees, their dentition patterns adapted to eating leaves and fruits.
d.
3. Baboon
a. Baboons live in sub-Saharan west and north Africa, very dry arid climates.
b. Baboons teeth are in an elongated arch shape with second and third molars that are much larger then the first molars.
c. The diet of the baboon consists of vegetation and small animals like hares and birds- these gave way to the evolution of their specific dentition.
d.
4. Gibbon
a. Gibbons live in tropical and subtropical rain forests of India, China, Islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. Gibbons also reside in treetops.
b. Gibbons have large dagger-like canines in their upper and lower jaws.
c. The dentition patterns of the gibbon are adapted to eating meat.
d.
5. Chimpanzees
a. The common chimp lives in west and central and Africa while the Congo river separates them from the Bonobo chimpanzees. These chimpanzees live in any climate from rain forests to grasslands.
b. The chimpanzees have similar dentition patterns to humans: two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars.
c. The chimpanzees dentition patterns are adapted to tearing meat off flesh.
d.
Summary:
The overall similarity that each group of primates share is that their dentition patterns evolve to help the primates adapt to their different habitats/environments.
You've made a good start here but there is a lot more to dentition! You offer the dentition pattern for spider monkeys and chimpanzees but not for the others. How does the dentition change going from new world to old world monkeys?
ReplyDeleteWhy do some primates have strikingly large canines?
Can teeth be influenced by anything besides diet? What else are teeth used for?
You say that the chimp dentition is influenced by meat eating, but this is only a small part of their diet. Why would this be the primary stress on dentition evolution?
You final summary restates the question but doesn't actually answer it. Why do you see so many similarities in dentition? When you see differences, how does the environment influence and result in these differences?
I studied the diets of these primates and after reviewing your posts, it is interesting to note the size of the canine teeth of the baboon and gibbon. I found that the Baboons varied their habitats and roamed around, this may have attributed to the size of their canine teeth as a defense mechanism, they may often come across bigger animals or predators. Likewise with the gibbon, this species tends to be very territorial and claim fairly large areas as their territory, potentially leading them to the need to defend their territory.
ReplyDeleteVery Nice Post! I enjoyed the pictures too!
This was a really good post, I didn't know what you were posting about till I read on. You used great pictures and very well written information. I would never guessed how much teeth would make a signification difference in these animals
ReplyDelete