Primate

About: Primate is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1250 publications have been published within this topic receiving 67388 citations. The topic is also known as: the primate order & primates.

Introduction to the primates

Abstract: ForewordPrefaceAcknowlegments1) Monkeys and Apes in History2) Classification and Distribution in Living Primates3) Blood Groups, Chromosomes, and DNA4) The Skull5) Teeth, Diet, and Digestion6) The Brain and Special Senses7) The Skeleton and Locomotion8) Growth and Development9) Social Groups and Primate Behavior10) Fossil Primates11) Primate ConservationGlossaryBibliographyIndex

Body size, long bone geometry and locomotion in quadrupedal monkeys

Abstract: Gravitational forces place important constraints on skeletal design, including size-required modifications in bone shape and robusticity. The scaling of long bone cross sectional geometry (cortical areas, section moduli, moments of area variables related to strength in compression, bending and torsion) in quadrupedal monkeys corroborates the allometric predictions of a recent multifactorial biomechanical model for medium-sized terrestrial mammals. Almost all geometrical variables exhibit significantly positive allometry in a sample of anthropoid quadrupeds ranging in size from squirrel monkeys to baboons and proboscis monkeys; i. e., bone dimensions increase faster than predicted by simple geometric similarity. Despite this pervasive trend (also seen in studies on prosimians and great apes), theoretical indices of compressive and bending strength which have mass in the denominator decrease as a function of body size. It seems probable, therefore, that postural and other behavioral modifications must act together with allometric scaling to preserve structural integrity of the locomotor skeleton in monkeys of very different size. New kinematic data from primate quadrupeds spanning a wide range of body sizes would be very valuable in this context.

Stress in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) subjected to long-distance transport and simulated transport housing conditions

Abstract: The stress associated with transportation of non-human primates used in scientific research is an important but almost unexplored part of laboratory animal husbandry. The procedures and routines concerning transport are not only important for the animals' physical health but also for their mental health as well. The transport stress in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) was studied in two experiments. In Experiment 1, 25 adult female cynomolgus monkeys were divided into five groups of five animals each that received different diets during the transport phase of the experiment. All animals were transported in conventional single animal transport cages with no visual or tactile contact with conspecifics. The animals were transported by lorry for 24 h at ambient temperatures ranging between 20 degrees C and 35 degrees C. Urine produced before, during and after transport was collected and analysed for cortisol by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All monkeys exhibited a significant increase in cortisol excretion per time unit during the transport and on the first day following transport.Although anecdotal reports concerning diet during transport, including the provision of fruits and/or a tranquiliser, was thought likely to influence stress responses, these were not corrobated by the present study. In Experiment 2, behavioural data were collected from 18 cynomolgus macaques before and after transfer from group cages to either single or pair housing, and also before and after a simulated transport, in which the animals were housed in transport cages. The single housed monkeys were confined to single transport cages and the pair housed monkeys were kept in their pairs in double size cages. Both pair housed and singly housed monkeys showed clear behavioural signs of stress soon after their transfer out of their group cages.However, stress-associated behaviours were more prevalent in singly housed animals than in pair housed animals, and these behaviours persisted for a longer time after the simulated transport housing event than in the pair housed monkeys. Our data confirm that the transport of cynomolgus monkeys is stressful and suggest that it would be beneficial for the cynomolgus monkeys to be housed and transported in compatible pairs from the time they leave their group cages at the source country breeding facility until they arrive at their final laboratory destination in the country of use.

Inference by exclusion in lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus), a hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas), capuchins (Sapajus apella), and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)

Abstract: Previous research has suggested that several primate species may be capable of reasoning by exclusion based on the finding that they can locate a hidden object when given information about where the object is not. The present research replicated and extended the literature by testing 2 Old World monkey species, lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus) and a hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas), and 2 New World species, capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella) and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). The New World monkeys were tested on the traditional 2-way object choice task, and all 4 species were also tested on a more complex 3-way object choice task. In addition, the squirrel monkeys were tested on a 2-way object choice task with auditory information. The results showed that, whereas the Old World species were able to infer by exclusion on the 3-object task, some of the capuchin monkeys had difficulty on each of the 2- and 3-cup tasks. All but 1 of the squirrel monkeys failed to infer successfully, and their strategies appeared to differ between the visual and auditory versions of the task. Taken together, this research suggests that the ability to succeed on this inference task may be present throughout Old World monkey species, but is fragile in the New World species tested thus far. (PsycINFO Database Record