Monkey Evolution by Brenda Lopez-Guardado https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf en-us 2023-05-04 12:24:19 UTC 2023-05-17 01:25:40 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f412.png Plesiadapidae- Pleasiadapis blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588600961 Around 60-70 million years ago
Plesiadapis
The Pleasiadapis' fossils were found in Montana, United States. They're referred to as one of the oldest primates, but not lots of information is known about them, especially behavioral-wise. Not many fossils of this primate have been found. The Pleasiadapis likely lived in North America and some parts of Europe and Asia. Scientists think they lived in North America originally and then moved to Europe. They looked nothing like modern-day monkeys since they were small, and had a body similar to a lemur, long tails, and legs with claws. These would be useful as they lived in trees for a while and lived in forests where they constantly climbed. Their faces, however, were like rodents; it was long and had many sharp teeth for eating. They mostly ate fruit and seeds until they started evolving later on. Their features were all suited for living above land, although their teeth weren't helpful, they weren't bothersome either. It was strange for them to have such sharp teeth when they only ate fruit, but it might've made biting into it easier.  The areas they lived in were subtropical, and as time passed on, they would start living on the ground, eating any small animal they could reach. Their brains gradually grew slightly larger.  They went extinct due to the massive competitiveness they faced searching for food, and global warming, which started to happen near the end of their population.]]> 2023-05-12 11:57:09 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588600961 Adapids-Notharctus blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588621774 54 million years ago
Adapiformes
Notharctus lived in Eurasia, North America, and Africa.  These, unlike Pleasiadapis, had multiple fossils that would resemble a complete body. They might not be the most closely related to monkeys, and the relationship is a little unclear, but they are the closest in the timeline currently. As I wrote before, the origins of monkeys are still vague. Notharctus had a slightly bigger brain than the Pleasiapis and its eyes faced forwards instead of the sides like it. They also developed a post-orbital bar, which is like a connecting arch near the eye. Their snouts decreased in size. Some things that stayed the same were their long, agile limbs and bodies that were still good for climbing. They still lived in subtropical forests and most likely acted similarly to lemurs.  They mostly ate plants, although they might have eaten insects at times.  They remained small.  It most likely went extinct because of competitiveness for food.]]> 2023-05-12 12:19:08 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588621774 Lemuroidea/Promisian-Lemurs blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588624261 40-50 million years ago
Promisian (They're not yet monkeys)
Ring-tailed lemurs live in southwestern Madagascar, in East Africa.  They still will live in trees or in the open, like plains. They can make a wide variety of sounds, like purring, howling, grunting, etc., but because they have such a good sense of smell, they will use that too. They evolved to have scent glands on their wrists and chests that they use to mark routes, making them very useful for traveling, especially because they live in groups and need to stay together. Their teeth are in such a position that made them good for grooming, called toothcombs, which the Notharctus and Pleasiadapis didn't have.  They remain with a long tail and good climbing abilities. Their claws have become nails. They still mostly eat plants and herbs, but also insects or small animals.  They have even evolved to use facial expressions to express fear, anger, and discontent. Despite all the advantages they have for surviving, they are endangered because of habitat loss and hunting done by humans. Since humans arrived in Madagascar, they have taken too many materials and gotten rid of too many forests, causing their populations to suffer and decline rapidly.  ]]> 2023-05-12 12:21:33 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588624261 Tarsiidae-Tarsiers blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588624814 55 million years ago
Philippine Tarsier
Tarsiers' classification is very complicated and not concrete, but scientists believe they are between lemurs and monkeys, so they are between old-world monkeys and lemurs despite technically being older.  At first, tarsiers could be found in Europe, northern Africa, Asia, and North America, but now they all live in Southeast Asia.  As the name suggests, the Philippine Tarsier is found only in Southeast Philippines.  They usually live near a few trees, bushes, and bamboo-filled areas.  They evolved much differently from the Notharctus, lemur, and Pleasiapids.  They are nocturnal and have evolved to have very wide, big eyes to see clearer at night. They maintain a very long tail from their ancestors, but they don't move much so it's not very useful. This species' tail specifically doesn't have any hair, unlike their ancestors or any other tarsier.  They don't move using their limbs like the others, but instead, leap and jump using their unusually long leg and ankle bones. They have long fingers and legs to hang on trees and can turn their heads 180 degrees to look around, which they need because they can't move their eyes since they're so big. Unlike lemurs, who move in big groups, or the Notharctus or Pleasidpis, they are mostly seen in a pair with a female and male, or rarely in a group of 4. They also are carnivorous, and the only fully carnivorous primate. They don't make lots of sounds or facial expressions, most likely because they are rarely with anyone else, and still use scent glands to mark territory. Due to habitat loss caused by humans, they are threatened/vulnerable. 


]]> 2023-05-12 12:22:03 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588624814 Old World Monkeys-Macaques blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588625075 25 million years ago
Rhesus Macaque
Rhesus Macaque is found in many areas including China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and more. They are believed to be from China or India originally. Their tails are medium length instead of long. Unlike the tarsier, males, and females can be differentiated through their features, tarsiers are the same no matter the gender. Contrastingly, they also walk on all their limbs, not jump like tarsiers, but move like lemurs.  Although they (like all the past primates I've talked about) are adapted to living in trees or in plains they can actually live in very different climates and areas  They also have one big difference, which is that they're good at swimming.  They can do this even when they're only two days old, which makes it good for hunting and escaping danger, raising their chances of survival.  They are omnivores and eat lots of things, some things being flowers, seeds, mushrooms, fish, and bird eggs, unlike the more restricted past primates.   They are well protected by people and are on the least concern list for endangerment.



]]> 2023-05-12 12:22:18 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588625075 New World Monkeys-Marmosets blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626435 30 million years ago
Pygmy Marmoset
Pygmy marmosets are monkeys that are unique due to their very small size.  They live in rainforests in South America, specifically Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and especially Western Amazonia. They live in groups of up to 9, but most often it's 6.  They, like lemurs, use sounds to communicate. They have long tails and are good at leaping, like tarsiers. They have nails, but they're made to better grip on trees while they eat.  They mostly eat tree sap, gum, etc, but also eat insects.  They spend most of their time in trees They are vulnerable because they are traded as pets and habitat loss due to humans. They can also rotate their head 180 degrees, making them most similar to tarsiers. They don't use many facial expressions. Although they don't give birth often, they have a 70% chance of having twins every time they do. ]]> 2023-05-12 12:23:21 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626435 Lesser Ape-Gibbons blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626568 16.8 million years ago
Hoolock Gibbons
There are currently four species of gibbons including Hoolock, Hylobates, Symphalangus, and Nomascus.  They live in China, Myanmar, northeastern India, and Bangladesh.  More specifically, they live in forests. The hoolock gibbon is not a monkey, but a lesser ape, so it doesn't have a tail, unlike all the other primates.  Despite this, they spend lots of time in trees, but they can still jump and leap.  They have many types of calls they use to communicate. They also use their skin scent glands to communicate. They eat lots of leaves and plants, but are omnivorous, and sometimes eat small animals.  They are often found in small groups of two or three but can go up to 6. Gibbons of all kinds are at risk of extinction because of habitat loss and are currently very reliant on humans to keep their populations up. They will likely become extinct in 150 years if things remain the same.]]> 2023-05-12 12:23:30 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626568 Great Ape-Orangutans blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626747 9–13 million years ago
Bornean Orangutan
Bornean Orangutans live in tropical or subtropical forests in Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Males are much bigger than females, and in general, they are the largest mammal that lives in trees. They have long arms and lack tails, however, they have fingernails and toenails as well as fingerprints and toe prints. These don't serve them any purpose. Males have a unique structure around their faces called flanges, which raises their chances of mating if they get them.  They are active during the day, unlike tarsiers. Although it can be difficult sometimes, they swing from trees using their flexible arms and flexible fingers and joints. They are very smart. They eat lots and lots of plants, mostly fruit, but they also eat small rocks that provide them with minerals they can't get through their diet. They also will take a certain plant to their skin that helps with inflammation. Orangutans are declining in population size because of hunting, illegal trade, and cutting down of their habitats, and they can conflict with humans when there's not enough food except human-grown crops. ]]> 2023-05-12 12:23:41 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626747 Great Ape-Gorillas blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626856 7 million years ago
Western lowland gorilla
Western Lowland gorillas are the most common and plentiful of gorillas.  They can be found in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They live in forests and swampy areas. They can get up to nearly five feet tall and up to 440 pounds.  Despite that, they are the smallest of all gorillas, although gorillas, in general, are the biggest apes. They also have no tail or fingerprints, but also nose prints, which also don't serve them a purpose.  They mostly eat leaves and plants, but also lots of fruit, more than most other gorillas.  Their groups can be very small or go up to 30. They communicated through sounds, although not often, and use body language a lot, like people.  The most popular example of this is them hitting their chests when aggressive. They are many of them, but they're currently critically endangered due to viruses, hunting, and logging. Their population has decreased more than 60% in only the past 20-ish years.]]> 2023-05-12 12:23:47 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588626856 Great Ape-Chimpanzees blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588627035 6 million years ago
Eastern Chimpanzee
This monkey lives in Uganda, Burundi Rwanda, Tanzania, and other places in rainforests. They live in trees and on land. They have very long arms and hands with short thumbs. Although they struggle to climb like other apes, they can still climb enough to get food. They mostly eat fruits, and insects, but surprisingly will eat birds, ants, and other small things. Chimpaznees are also very smart and can teach their offpsing habits they learn. They have leaders, conflict, and even a chimpanzee war at one time.  They also have fingerprints and no tails. They use their limbs to walk, specifically on their knuckles. Chimpanzees can use many sounds to communicate, but they also use lots of body language and direct communication, like bowing to show respect. They will live in small parties or huge of up to 150.
They are currently endangered because they are traded as pets, hunted, viruses, and habitat loss.]]> 2023-05-12 12:23:56 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588627035 Environmental Pressures blopezg01 https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588825427
  • Research the current environmental pressures on this animal and give a hypothesis for its future. In your explanation include any adaptations needed to survive.
    • The biggest threats to monkeys are almost all because of humans, including poaching/hunting, habitat loss, being traded as pets, being sold, and climate change. Some non-human related issues are diseases/viruses, food competitiveness, and political issues, for chimpanzees since they are smart enough to understand those concepts.  To combat these issues, they could adapt to making more vibrant and noticeable sounds and facial expressions to appear more threatening and to communicate better.  For diseases, they need to evolve to have better immune systems that will allow them to survive, like the bottleneck effect. My hypothesis is that many of these species will go extinct, however, because scientists have said it would take a long time for them to regain their populations even if all these issues were gone, and many humans will continue to trade, hunt, and hurt these animals.
    ]]>     2023-05-12 14:54:09 UTC https://padlet.com/blopezg01/nfhxe59nc5dcgohf/wish/2588825427