100 years of primate paleontology

Kay, Richard F.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.23429

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 179 publications

(208 reference statements)

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“…This is congruent with the increased evidence suggesting that the ancestral euprimates could have been primarily insectivorous (3,4,(21)(22)(23)54). Fossil evidence shows that the earliest and most primitive euprimates (e.g., omomyiforms and adapiforms) had particularly small body sizes and were primarily insectivorous, although there is also evidence supporting herbivory (10,54). For instance, Teilhardina asiatica, which is phylogenetically near the root of the euprimate radiation, was reconstructed as a diurnal, visually oriented predator (23).…”

Section: Carnivory (Eg Insectivory) Of the Ancestral Euprimatessupporting

confidence: 86%

Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates

Fan

Bai

et al. 2022

Sci. Adv.

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Primates of modern aspect (euprimates) are characterized by a suite of characteristics (e.g., convergent orbits, grasping hands and feet, reduced claws, and leaping), but the selective pressures responsible for the evolution of these euprimate characteristics have long remained controversial. Here, we used a molecular phyloecological approach to determine the diet of the common ancestor of living primates (CALP), and the results showed that the CALP had increased carnivory. Given the carnivory of the CALP, along with the general observation that orbital convergence is largely restricted to ambush predators, our study suggests that the euprimate characteristics could have been more specifically adapted for ambush predation. In particular, our behavior experiment further shows that nonclaw climbing can significantly reduce noises, which could benefit the ancestral euprimates’ stalking to ambush their prey in trees. Therefore, our study suggests that the distinctive euprimate characteristics may have evolved as their specialized adaptation for ambush predation in arboreal environments.

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Section: Carnivory (Eg Insectivory) Of the Ancestral Euprimatessupporting

confidence: 86%

Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates

Fan

Bai

et al. 2022

Sci. Adv.

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“…In primates, optic convergence and stereoscopic vision represent significant parts of their evolution, accompanied by a relative shrinking of the olfactory apparatus (Kay, 2018). Thus, it was long assumed that olfaction is of little relevance in taxa with advanced visual capabilities, resulting in a paucity of olfactory studies in many primate taxa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In primates, optic convergence and stereoscopic vision represent significant parts of their evolution, accompanied by a relative shrinking of the olfactory apparatus (Kay, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sniffing behavior of semi free-ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

Simon

Widdig

Weiß

2022

Preprint

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Olfaction is one of the evolutionarily oldest senses and plays a fundamental role in foraging as well as social interactions across mammals. In primates, however, its role has long been underappreciated, leading to a scarcity of studies on the role of olfaction for primate lives, particularly in Old World monkeys and apes. We therefore observed the sniffing behaviour of semi-free ranging Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus, at Affenberg Salem, Germany, to assess how frequently macaques use olfaction in which contexts, and how sniffing behaviour is affected by individual attributes such as sex and age. Focal observations of 24 males and 24 females aged 1 to 25 years showed that Barbary macaques sniffed, on average, 5.3 times per hour, with more than 80% of sniffs directed at edible items. Irrespective of the context, younger individuals used olfaction more often than older ones. Females sniffed more often at edible items than males did, while males used olfaction more often in a social context than females did. Sniffs at conspecifics primarily occurred in a sexual context, with 70% of social sniffs directed at female anogenital swellings. Of the 176 anogenital inspections recorded during focal follows and ad libitum, 51 involved sniffing the swelling. Notably, olfactory inspections of anogenital swellings were followed by a copulation significantly less often than merely visual inspections, suggesting that anogenital odours provided additional information guiding male mating decisions. In sum, results show that Barbary macaques routinely use olfaction during foraging, but also in a social context. Our study further suggests that odours may guide mating decision, but the role of olfaction in Barbary macaque sexual interactions warrants further investigations.

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“…Olfaction plays an important and unresolved role in scenarios of primate evolution (Cartmill, 1992; Kay, 2018; Le Gross Clark, 1959; Smith, 1924; Sussman, 1991). As primates evolved optic convergence and stereoscopic vision, their olfactory apparatus became smaller (Cartmill, 1972, 1974; Kay, 2018; Le Gross Clark, 1959; Smith, 1924). During this period, primates increased their dietary reliance on fruit (Sussman et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, a keen sense of smell would be adaptive for a frugivorous animal. It is perplexing, then, that the olfactory apparatus of primates became smaller as fruit became more important to their survival (Kay, 2018). However, a growing body of research indicates that the size of the olfactory apparatus is not a reliable predictor of olfactory abilities (Jerison, 1979; Laska et al, 2006; Laska & Salazar, 2015;McGann, 2017; Nevo & Heymann, 2015), indicating the vital importance of behavioral studies to understanding the role of olfaction in primate evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ring‐tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) use olfaction to locate distant fruit

Cunningham

Edmonds

Stalter

2021

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives As many primates live in forests where visibility is limited, the ability to detect the aroma of distant fruit and navigate odor plumes would be highly adaptive. Our study is the first to investigate this ability with strepsirrhine primates. Materials and Methods We tested the ability of a group of ring‐tailed lemurs to detect hidden fruit from afar using scent alone. We hid containers in the underbrush of a semi‐natural forest, some baited with real cantaloupe and some with sham cantaloupe, 4–17 m from a path routinely used by the lemurs. Crucially, the containers were not visible from the path. Therefore, the lemurs had to use olfactory cues, but did not have to prioritize them to locate the bait. Results The lemurs found the real cantaloupe on days that the wind blew the scent of the fruit toward the trail. They did not find the sham cantaloupe. Upon detecting the odor of the bait, the lemurs sniffed the air at one or more locations as they moved toward the bait, a process of navigation known as klinotaxis. Discussion The traditional belief is that primates are unable to track odor plumes. The untrained lemurs in this study were able to detect the odor of the cantaloupe among the complex odors of the forest and navigate the odor plume to the fruit. The results indicate that olfaction may be used to respond to cues from distant sources. The ability to track odor plumes may be a critical foraging skill for strepsirrhines.

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100 years of primate paleontology

Cited by 9 publications

References 179 publications

Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates

Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates

Sniffing behavior of semi free-ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

Ring‐tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) use olfaction to locate distant fruit

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