Latest Primate Stories
The world's largest species of monkey 'chooses' mates with genes that are different from their own to guarantee healthy and strong offspring, according to a new research study.The results obtained from mandrills, a species closely related to humans, support the disputed theory that humans are attracted to those with a dissimilar genetic make up to maintain genetic diversity.Female mandrills are more likely to reproduce with males whose genes are complementary, possibly because they 'smell...
Most of the linguistic functions in humans are controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere. A study of captive chimpanzees at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (Atlanta, Georgia), reported in the January 2010 issue of Elsevier's Cortex (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cortex), suggests that this "hemispheric lateralization" for language may have its evolutionary roots in the gestural communication of our common ancestors. A large majority of the chimpanzees in the study...
Results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered speciesThe most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not, says a new study in Biology Letters. The results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered species,...
Two Penn State University researchers have carried out one of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates. This innovative work by Graduate Student Ruscena Wiederholt and Associate Professor of Biology Eric Post examined how El Niño warming affected the abundance of four New World monkeys over decades. The research will be published on 28 October 2009 in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, a fast-track journal of the Royal Society of...
Music serves as a natural and non-invasive intervention for patients with severe neurological disorders to promote long-term memory, social interaction and communication. However, there is currently no plausible explanation of its neural basis for why and how music affects physical and psychosocial responses.Origins of music perception in humans may have their foundation in animal communication calls, as evidenced here in non-human primates. Many speech sounds and animal vocalizations, for...
U.S. evolutionary anthropologists say they've discovered spotted hyenas outperform primates on cooperative problem-solving tests. Duke University scientists led by Associate Professor Christine Drea said captive pairs of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) that needed to tug two ropes in unison to earn a food reward cooperated successfully and learned the maneuvers quickly with no training. And the researchers discovered experienced hyenas even helped inexperienced partners do the trick. When...
Spotted hyenas may not be smarter than chimpanzees, but a new study shows that they outperform the primates on cooperative problem-solving tests.Captive pairs of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) that needed to tug two ropes in unison to earn a food reward cooperated successfully and learned the maneuvers quickly with no training. Experienced hyenas even helped inexperienced partners do the trick.When confronted with a similar task, chimpanzees and other primates often require extensive...
Experts say endangered species are being threatened by Internet advertisements asking people adopt "playful primates" from Cameroon, AFP reported.It is illegal and forbidden to deal primates in the central African country. But one environmental activist in the front line said that over the past three years the Internet has led to a flourishing trade in endangered species.The Last Great Ape Organization (Laga-Cameroon) is a small non-governmental organization that works in...
U.S. scientists say the ability of vitamin D to regulate anti-bactericidal proteins has been conserved in primates for nearly 60 million years of evolution. Oregon State University researchers said that part of the immune system is shared only by primates, including humans -- but no other known animal species. The fact that the vitamin-D mediated immune response has been retained through millions of years of evolutionary selection -- and is still found in species ranging from squirrel...
 A prehistoric water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic has become a "treasure trove" with the announcement by Indiana University archaeologists of the discovery of stone tools, a small primate skull in remarkable condition, and the claws, jawbone and other bones of several species of sloths.The discoveries extend by thousands of years the scope of investigations led Charles Beeker, director of Academic Diving and Underwater Science Programs at IU Bloomington's School of...
Latest Primate Reference Libraries
Geoffroy’s tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) is a small primate that is native to Colombia and Panama. Its other common names include the rufous-naped tamarin, the red-crested tamarin, and the Panamanian tamarin. It can be found in many different habitats including dry, moist, tropical, and secondary forests. In Panama, it occurs in the central and eastern regions, but is found less on the Atlantic coast. It can be found in Metropolitan Natural Park as well as an urban park with its Panama...
The white-headed Capuchin (Cebus capucinus) is a New World monkey that is native to Central America, as well as the far northwestern area of South America. It is also known as the white-faced capuchin and the white-throated capuchin. Its Central American range includes Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. Reports have shown that it may occur in southern Belize and eastern Guatemala, but these reports have not been confirmed. Its South American range is limited to the northwestern area...
Campbell’s mona monkey (Cercopithecus campbelli) is a primate that can be found in many areas including the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, and Liberia. Its other common names include Campbell’s monkey and Campbell’s guenon. In 2009, studies revealed that this monkey might have advanced communication skills. It previously held Lowe’s mona monkey as a subspecies. Campbell’s mona monkey appears on the IUCN Red List with a conservation status of “Least Concern”. Image Caption:...
The Ugandan red colobus (Procolobus tephrosceles) is a primate native to Africa. It is an Old World monkey that was not classified as its own species until 2001. Its range includes five areas of Uganda and Tanzania that equal 621.3 miles. These areas include the edge of Lake Victoria in Tanzania and Kibale National Park in Uganda, where the largest population is thought to be located. The preferred habitat of this monkey depends on its location, and it some areas, sustainable habitat is...
The collared mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus) is a species of primate in the Old World monkey family. Its other common names include the red-capped mangabey and the white-collared mangabey, which allows for some confusion with the sooty mangabey. The collared mangabey is native to Africa, with a range including western Nigeria extending into south and east Cameroon. It can also be found through Equatorial Guinea and from Gabon to the Gabon-Congo border near the Atlantic shore. The collared...
