Comparative Primate Blog Post

The topic assigned to me was dentition patterns. Dentition patterns refer to the kind, number, and arrangement of the teeth.

Lemurs are mainly located in the island of Madagascar. Lemurs enjoy living in tropical environments. Lemurs spend most of their lives living in trees, because of their small size their diet is mainly other small animals such as frogs, baby birds, and insects. Lemurs because of their small size are suited for the environment in Madagascar because there are not many other primates that they have to compete with for food. The lemur’s dental formula is 2.1.3.3. Most lemurs have four incisor teeth and two canines. These teeth also stick forward rather than upwards. The reason for this being is probably for the foods lemurs eat. Since they feast upon small animals it is not really required of them to have a lot of teeth, especially when their prey is so small and relatively easy for them to grab a hold of.

Spider Monkeys are located in tropical climates of Central and South America. Spider monkeys live in the tree tops of their tropical climate. Their diet includes nuts, fruits, leaves, bird eggs and spiders. Spider monkeys can emit a loud sound to communicate that can be heard from very far away even with its small size. Spider monkeys have 2 incisors, 1 canine, 3 premolars, and 2 molars. Their dental formula is 2.1.3.3. Spider monkeys live in the tops of trees which explains why their diet is such. It is possible that Spider monkeys have this tooth structure because the food that they eat is not relatively hard to kill. They might have adapted to have many molars so it is easier to chew the foods that they eat.

Baboons are most commonly found in East Africa. They are very adaptable when it comes to habitat they only require a close water source and a safe place to sleep. Baboons usually sleep in tall trees. They are very intelligent animals so this can explain their ability to adapt within different environments. Baboons mainly eat seeds, berries, leaves, and sap from plants. However they will eat insects, fish and birds. Baboons have powerful jaws with sharp canine teeth. Their dental formula is 2.1.2.3. Even though Baboons have a mostly plant diet it is likely that the reason for their sharp teeth and powerful jaws is to ward away predators that evolved over time.

Gibbons make their habitat in Southeast Asia. They are very nimble and swing from trees very easily; this makes predators hard to catch them. About 75% of a gibbon’s diet is fruit. However they will also feast upon insects and small birds. The gibbons dental formula is 2.1.2.3. They have elongated canine teeth which may also be a way to ward off predators since there is no need for that large of teeth in regards to their diet.

Chimpanzees are mainly located on the western side of Africa. They make their homes in different types of forests. Chimpanzees will be seen in savanna areas but it is usually only for a short while as they are making their way to another forest patch. The chimpanzees’ diet ranges from fruits, seeds, and leaves to insects and medium sized mammals. The chimpanzee’s dental formula is 2.1.2.3. It is likely that the dental formula for the chimpanzee is this for a large part of its diet is eating leaves and other natural food that may be hard to chew.

It seems that primates who have a large diet of mostly plants have more molars to help grind and chew the food they eat. The primates that have sharper teeth in the front are usually a method of defense against other predators in the area if they have a mostly plant based diet. Animals who have a more meat based diet tend to have sharper incisors.