Comparing Dentition Patterns of Primates GC

Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini) 
a. A thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives.
Lemurs spend most of their time at the top of the rain forest canopy usually in Europe, Asia and Africa.  They are native to Madagascar.
b. A description of your specified character trait for that primate.  The lemur dental pattern is 2.1.3.3 Their dentition is heterodent which means they have multiple tooth morphologies.  .  They have a total of 36 teeth, 2-insicors, 1-canine, 3-premolars, and 3-molars. The lemurs dentition is quite unique because they have a dental comb which they use for grooming and feeding.
c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has been influenced by its environment, i.e., how can the trait be viewed as an adaptation to the primate’s environment.
The way this trait showed its adaption to their environment is that they needed to adapt to the type of food they had available to them.  By using their incisors and canines to create the dental comb they are able to eat the fruit and buds.
d. An image of that primate, preferably displaying the trait you are studying, if possible.

Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini) 
a. A thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives.
Spider monkeys live in south and Central America and are arboreal just like the lemurs.
b. A description of your specified character trait for that primate.
Spider monkey’s have a similar dental pattern to the lemur, 2.1.3.3. They also have 36 teeth, 2-incisors, 1-canine, 3-premolars, and 3-molars
c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has been influenced by its environment, i.e., how
can the trait be viewed as an adaptation to the primate’s environment.
Spider monkey’s use their teeth for biting and chewing and have used this to adapt to their environment in order to get the most out of the available food in their environment.  They use their incisors to pick fruits off of trees.

Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae) 
a. A thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives.
Baboons live live in deserts in the Africa and southern Asia to northern Japan.
b. A description of your specified character trait for that primate.
Baboons have a slightly different dental pattern than the lemur and spider monkey, 2.1.3.3.  They also have a total of 32 teeth but have 2-incisors, 1-canine, 2-premolars, and 3-molars. Dentition pattern similar to chimpanzees.
c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has been influenced by its environment, i.e., how
can the trait be viewed as an adaptation to the primate’s environment.
The baboons use their incisors to eat fruit and their molars to eat things like worms and snails..  They do have big canine teeth are not used to eat with but to fight off predators.  They are able to adapt to their environment by showing or inflicting pain to other animals that threaten them by showing their canines.

Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae) 
a. A thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives.
Gibbons live in the trees of the forests of Southeast Asia.
b. A description of your specified character trait for that primate.
. Gibbons have a dental pattern of 2.1.2.3.  They have a total of 32 teeth, 2-incisors, 1-canine, 2-premolars, and 3-molars
c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has been influenced by its environment, i.e., how
can the trait be viewed as an adaptation to the primate’s environment.
Gibbons use their canines, premolars, and molars to eat fruit. Gibbons also have long canines like the Baboon, which are also used for defense because neither the baboon nor the gibbons eat meat.  This is an example of their adaption to their environment because they use their teeth as a defense in the environment they live in. I am sure they would have found another way to adapt if they had not had these massive canines but luckily they do and were able to survive and adapt to their environment.

Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominidae)  
a. A thorough description of the environment in which the primates lives.
Chimpanzees live primarily in Africa.  They roam around land as well as in trees mainly in rainforest but also in Savanaahs.
b. A description of your specified character trait for that primate.
The chimpanzee has a dental pattern 2.1.2.3.  They have a total of 32 teeth, 2-incisors, 1-canine, 2-premolars, and 3-molars.  Dentition pattern can be compared to the Gibbon.
c. A discussion on how the primate’s trait expression has been influenced by its environment, i.e., how
can the trait be viewed as an adaptation to the primate’s environment.
Chimpanzees use their teeth for eating and defense just like baboons. They use their canines just like baboons for self defense. The remainder of their teeth are used to bit and chew the things they hunt and like birds.  I believe this helped them to adapt to their environment much like the other primates. Similar to the other primates they have adapted to their environment because of their teeth.  They are able to eat as well as provide themselves with a defense system.

In summarizing all of the primate’s dentition patterns I noticed that they are similar.  The differences are that the use for their teeth in each primate can be different.  Baboons and Chimpanzees use their canines for protection and to scare off whatever is threatening them.  Lemurs and Spider Monkeys use theirs mainly for plants and fruit.  These primates have easily adapted into their environments because their teeth has assisted in the adaptation.  We can break these five primates into two groups one group having the Lemur and Spider monkey with similar dental patterns they live in similar environments and eat similar things.  The Baboons, Chimpanzees and Gibbons as you can see also live in similar environments and use their canines as a form of protection.