|
Primates an order of the vertebrate class Mammalia that includes man, the apes, monkeys, lorises, and lemurs. Carolus Linnaeus used the name, meaning 'chiefs', in 1758. The majority of primates are adapted for life in trees, but many are ground dwelling. Some principally feed on leaves, fruits and different vegetable matter, while others are insectivorous; many eat fruits and leaves but also hunt live prey. Primates range in size from about 30 cm in marmosets, weighing less than a kilogram, to gorillas, which stand almost 200 cm high, and may weigh as much as 350 kg. The first primates appeared in North America and Europe in the Palaeocene epoch (65-53 million years ago). Early forms such as Purgatorius were small and bore a striking resemblance to the living tree shrews. The lemurs and lorises are known as the lower primates or prosimians, while the monkeys, apes and man are variously called the higher primate, simians or anthropoids. The higher primates are divided into two major groups: the Platyrrhini (the New World monkeys), and the Catarrhini (the Old World monkeys, apes and man). Of the 180 or so species of living primates, 83 are Old World primates. Of these nine are gibbons. Gibbons are also known as lesser apes, while the Orang-utan, Gorilla and Chimpanzee are known as greater apes. Man is the only one to walk fully upright. The use of tools and fire, and the ability to make clothes and efficient shelters have allowed man to penetrate nearly all climatic regions of the world. None of the great man-like apes are found in south Asia, the Gorilla and Chimpanzee occur in Africa, and the Orang-utan in Borneo and Sumatra. The only lesser ape inhabiting South Asia are the gibbons of which a single species, the Hoolock Gibbon or White-browed Gibbon (Hylobates hoolock), is found in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. This species is also found in Assam in India.
Of the 180 or so known species of recent primates, 25
are found in South Asia. Bangladesh has 10 species in 4 families.
Some of them are threatened. Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang)-
A member of the family Loridae. Face resembles that of lemur.
Body dark ashy-grey or grey-brown with a darker band down the
middle of the back; beneath lighter grey. Eyes owl-like, circled
with dark patches. Head rounded, ear and tail very small.
|
|
Slow Loris (Nycticebus
coucang) |
Head-body length 26-40 cm; bulky, weight 1000-1600 g;
generally solitary, nocturnal and arboreal. Movements slow, climbs readily
with firm grips. Spends days curled in tree hollows. Feeds on leaves and
shoots of trees, fruits, insects, bird eggs and young birds. A single
young is born after a gestation period of c. 3 months. Occurs in the mixed
evergreen forests of the country and also in deciduous forests of northern
hilly areas.
Crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)-
A species of the family Cercopithecidae, also called long-tailed macaque;
back olive brown to dark grey, limbs lighter; greyish ventral parts; long
blackish tail. Crown hairs directed backward. Pinkish brown face. Head-body
length 35-65 cm; tail 40-66 cm.
Usually lives in small groups of 5-15; larger groups may comprise
up to 100 individuals. Subsists mainly on vegetables, but eats
insects and crabs when available and also raids crops. Female
gives birth to one young after a gestation period of c. 6 months.
Able to exploit a great variety of habitats, viz, evergreen
forests, bamboo thickets, mangroves, etc. Occurs in Chakaria
Sundarbans in the Cox's Bazar district.
|
|
Rhesus macaque (M.
mulatta) |
Also found in India (Nicobar islands), Myanmar,
Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam (southern part), Indonesia and the Philippines.
Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)- A vulnerable primate of
the family Cercopithecidae. Squat, thickset build. Crown hairs radiate
backwards from brow with no parting or whorls. Facial skin bare, light
pinkish or reddish; upper back olive; loins, rump and base of tail orange
red; underparts paler. Hind quarters of adults bright red. Tail uniformly
hairy, about half the length of head and body. Male larger than female.
Feeds mainly on fruits, berries, grains, ground plants, also insects and
spiders. Moves during day in groups of up to 35 individuals. Swims well.
Raids fields and gardens. Gestation period c. 130-180 days, delivers a
single young, nursed for several months. Widely distributed in forests,
villages and towns; prefers open country and trees near streams of dense
forests.
Pig-tailed Macaque (M. nemestrina)-
The species has back greyish olive to russet, crown dark and under-parts
greyish white. Pig-like tail carried erect and arched. Crown hairs short,
radiating from a central whorl. Bare face light brown; eyelids with greenish
white markings. Legs and muzzle long. Male larger than female. Head-body
length 43-60 cm; tail length 13-25 cm. Adult weight 4-15 kg. Group living;
group size varies from 3-25. Usually arboreal. Feeds on fruits, seeds,
young leaves, and insects. Gestation period c. 6 months. Found
in the mixed evergreen forests of the northeastern and southeastern part
of the country. Also found in India (north eastern part), Myanmar, Malaysia
and Indonesia.
Hanuman Langur (Semnopithecus entellus)- A critically
endangered primate of the family Cercopithecidae. Most adaptable
of all the langurs even in modified habitats. Tail longer than head and
body; jaws long. Arms, legs and trunk long and thin. Body silvery grey,
lower parts paler. Face, ears and soles of hand and feet black. Black
face contrasts with the light hairs around it. Crown hairs rise into a
crest or tuft; eyebrows well-developed, hairs behind the brows radiate
to form a frontal whorl. Head-body length 50-110 cm; tail 70-110 cm. Weight:
male 10-20 kg, female 8-18 kg. Lives in groups, usual group size
being 15-25. Purely vegetarian, feeds on fruits, grains, pod, flowers,
buds, shoots and leaves. Breeds during the first half of the year. Females
become sexually mature at around three and a half year, and may have young
every two years. Also occurs in India and Sri Lanka.
Phayre's Langur (Trachypithecus phayrei)-
Critically endangered primate of the family Colobidae. Brown to grey-brown
back, white underparts and mouth. Eyes circled by broad ring of white
('spectacles'); face blackish; hands and feet black. Hair of crown elongated,
directed backwards, not radiating. Tail longer than head and body, with
a tuft of dark hairs at the tip.
Head-body length: male 51-55 cm, female 45-53 cm; tail 64-87
cm; weight male 7-9 kg, female 5-7 kg. Lives in groups; group
size varies from 5-15. Diurnal, forest dweller and generally arboreal.
Feeds almost entirely on vegetables including leaves, flowers
and fruits. Breeding period is normally between September and
February. Also found in India (eastern part), Myanmar, Thailand,
Laos, Vietnam and China (Yunnan).
|
|
Capped Langur (T. pileatus) |
Capped Langur (Trachypithecus pileatus)- An endangered
primate of the family Colobidae. Has a distinct cap or crown of long,
erect, coarse hairs directed backwards on head. Face black; grey to blackish
grey above and brownish yellow or orange below; distal half of tail blackish.
Head-body length: male 68-70 cm, female 59-67 cm; tail: male 94-104 cm,
female 78-90 cm; weight: male 11-14 kg, female 9-12 kg. Almost arboreal
and forest dweller. Lives in groups of 2-20 individuals. Polygamous; breeds
in winter. Feeds on fruits, flowers and leaves. Occurs in
the deciduous and the mixed evergreen forests of the country. Also found
in India (north-eastern part) and Myanmar (northern part).
Hoolock Gibbon (Hylobates hoolock)- A critically
endangered primate of the family Hylobatidae. Tailless, with white
brows, and very long forelimbs. Males and young females black; on reaching
maturity (c 5 years) female's coat fades to a yellowish grey. Head-body
length 45-63 cm; tail: male 94-104 cm, female 78-90 cm. Weight 6-8 kg.
Highly territorial. Lives in small groups, consisting of a male, one female
and several young, seldom exceeding 6 in number. Exclusively arboreal;
usually starts the day with its very loud double call whope whope.
Feeds mostly on fruits, buds, shoots and flowers. Usually delivers one
young after a gestation period of c. 7 months. Occurs in the mixed
evergreen forests of the country. They are also found in India (eastern
part), Myanmar (northern part) and China (southern part).
[Md. Anwarul Islam] |
