Prehistoric Models: Primates
(primates)
Mammals are a class animals defined as warm-blooded vertebrates, distinguished by the possession of hair or fur, the secretion of milk by females for the nourishment of the young, and (typically) the birth of live young (with only two modern exceptions).
The Order Primate meaning primus or prime-first rank. The earliest primates between 85 to 55 million years ago. The clade includes lemurs, lorisids, tarsiers, old world monkeys, new world monkey, apes. Except for apes, most primates have tails and almost all have opposable thumbs. To see my fossil primates click here.
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Primates – Suborder: Strepsirrhini – Infraorder: Lemuriformes – Superfamily: Lemuroidea
(Lemurs)
Pleistocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Propithecus candidus
Common name: Silky Sifaka
Classification:Superfamily: Lemuroidea – Family: Indriidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Northeastern Madagascar
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Lemur catta
Common name: Ring-tailed lemur
Classification: Superfamily: Lemuroidea – Family: Lemuridae
Time: Holocene
Location: Southwestern Madagascar
Diet: Omnivore
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Primates – Suborder: Haplorhini – Clade: Omomiformes – Family: Tarsiidae
(Tarsier)
Middle Eocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Tarsius sp.
Common name: Tarsier
Classification: Suborder: Haplorhini – Clade: Omomyiformes – Family: Tarsiidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Southeast Asia
Diet: Omnivore
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Primates – Suborder: Haplorhini – Infraorder: Simiformes – Parvorder: Platyrrhini
(New World Monkeys)
Early Oligocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Macaca silenus
Common name: Spider monkey
Classification: Family: Atelidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Central and South America
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Saimiri sciureus
Common name: Common squirrel monkey
Classification: Family: Cebidae
Time: Miocene (Laventan) to Holocene
Location: Northern South America
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Saimiri vanzolinii
Common name: Black squirrel monkey
Classification:Family: Cebidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Small endangered population in northern Brazil
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Leontopithecus rosalia
Common name: Golden lion tamarin
Classification: Family: Callitrichidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Atlantic coastal forest, Brazil
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Lagothrix lagothricha
Common name: Common woolly monkey
Classification: Family: Atelidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Northwestern Central South America
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Cebus cuscinus
Common name: Shock-headed capuchin
Classification: Family: Cebidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Upper Amazon Basin, montane forests of western Andes Mountains
Diet: Omnivore
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Primates – Suborder: Haplorhini – Infraorder: Simiformes – Parvorder: Catarrhini
(Old World Anthropoids or Catarrhine Monkeys)
Late Eocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Macaca silenus
Common name: Lion-tailed macaque
Classification: Family: Cercopithecidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Southwestern India
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Papio anubis
Common name: Olive baboon
Classification: Family: Cercopithecidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Central Africa
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Mandrillus sphinx
Common name: Mandrill
Classification: Family: Cercopithecidae
Time: Early Pleistocene to Holocene
Location: West central Africa
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Cercopithecus ascanius
Common name: Red-tailed monkey
Classification: Family: Cercopithecidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Central Africa
Diet: Omnivores
Genus and species: Nasalis larvatus
Common name: Proboscis monkey
Classification: Family: Cercopithecidae, Subfamily: Colobinae
Time: Holocene
Location: Malaysia
Diet: Herbivore
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Primates – Suborder: Haplorhini – Infraorder: Simiformes – Parvorder: Ctarrhini – Superfamily: Hominoidea – Family: Hylobatidae
(Gibbons)
Late Miocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Nomascus gabriellae
Common name: Yellow-cheeked gibbon
Classification: Family: Hylobatidae
Time: Holocene
Location: Southeast Asia
Diet: Herbivore
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata – Superclass: Tetrapoda – Class: Mammalia – Order: Primates – Suborder: Haplorhini – Infraorder: Simiformes – Parvorder: Catarrhini – Superfamily: Hominidea – Family: Hominidae
(Apes)
Miocene to Holocene
Genus and species: Pongo pygmaeus
Common name: Orangutans
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Ponginae
Time: Early Pleistocene to Holocene
Location: Southeast Asia and South China
Diet: Herbivore
Genus and species: Gorilla gorilla
Common name: Gorilla
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Gorillini
Time: Pleistocene to Holocene
Location: Central Africa
Diet: Herbivore
Genus and species: Pan troglodytes
Common name: Chimpanzees
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Hominini – Subtribe: Panina
Time: Middle Pliocene to Holocene
Location: Central Africa
Diet: Omniovore
Genus and species: Dryopithecus fontani
Common name: None
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Dryopithecini
Time: Middle Miocene (Serravallian) to Late Miocene (Tortonian)
Location: Africa
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Australopithecus africanus
Common name: Lucy
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Hominini
Time: Middle Pliocene
Location: Africa
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Homo habilis
Common name: “Handy man”
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Hominini
Time: Early Pleistocene
Location: East and South Africa
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Homo erectus
Name meaning: “upright man”
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Hominini
Time: Early Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene
Location: Europe to Asia
Diet: Omnivore
Genus and species: Homo neanderthalensis
Name meaning: Neanderthal
Classification: Family: Hominidae – Subfamily: Homininae – Tribe: Hominini
Time: Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene
Location: Europe, western Middle East, and Southwest Asia
Diet: Omnivore
