New World monkey

White -headed Capuchin ( Cebus capucinus )

The New World monkeys or wide nose monkeys ( Platyrrhini ) are a lineage of primates. You take all the original primate of the Americas together. Together with the Old World monkeys, they form the group of monkeys.

Features

New World monkeys are on average slightly smaller than Old World monkeys, their weight fluctuates between 100 grams ( pygmy marmoset ) up to 15 kilograms ( spider monkeys ). Most species are adapted to an arboreal lifestyle, the hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs. Extreme limb proportions as they occur in other Primatentaxa, are not known to them. The tail is relatively long with the exception of uakaris, New World monkeys are the only primates in which some representatives (particularly the clamp tail monkeys) developed a prehensile tail. The thumbs are not opponierbar in most cases.

New World monkeys have a wide nose, the holes of which are directed outward. In contrast to the Old World monkeys, they have no bony ear canal and there are still three premolars present. Most members also have three molars, only with most marmosets, the number of molars is reduced in relation to the dwarfing. This yields the following dental formula: I2 C1 P2 -3 M3, a total of 32 or 36 teeth.

Dissemination and lifestyle

The distribution of New World monkeys extends from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. The greatest diversity of species they reach the northern and central South America, especially in the Amazon basin. The animals on the Caribbean islands, the Antilles monkeys are extinct.

Primate have a lower bandwidth than the old world monkeys ecological. All species are forest dwellers who most of the time staying on the trees and rarely come to the ground. Most species are diurnal, a nocturnal lifestyle has developed only in the owl monkey.

The social behavior is highly variable. There are New World monkeys that live in monogamous family groups ( night monkeys, titi monkeys ), species in complex groups with many males and females, with females species dominance ( squirrel monkeys ) and finally the polyandrous marmosets.

Furthermore, diet is variable, the larger species are often herbivores, the smaller will also take insects and other small animals to him.

Evolution and systematics

Development History provide the Old World monkeys, the sister taxon of the New World monkeys dar. As the ancestors of these animals came to America, is not entirely clear. They may have been driven to plant -lined floating islands, which have become detached from mangroves on the then much narrower Atlantic. This process probably took place in the early Oligocene. The oldest find of a Primate is the approximately 26 million year-old fossil Branisella.

The former two- division in marmosets ( Callitrichidae ) and "non- marmoset " ( Cebidae ) has been found to be incorrect because some representatives of non- marmosets are more closely related to marmosets than with each other. Today, the New World monkeys of up to five families are divided (the following list is the systematic up to the genus level resist ):

  • Marmosets ( Callitrichidae ) Tamarins ( Saguinus )
  • Lion tamarins ( Leontopithecus )
  • Springtamarine ( Callimico )
  • Marmosets ( Callithrix )
  • Capuchin monkeys ( Cebus )
  • Squirrel monkeys ( Saimiri )
  • Owl monkeys ( Aotus )
  • Spider monkeys ( Ateles )
  • Spider monkeys ( Brachyteles )
  • Woolly monkeys ( Lagothrix )
  • Yellowtail woolly monkeys ( Oreonax )
  • Howler monkeys ( Alouatta )
  • Titi monkeys ( Callicebus )
  • Uakaris ( Cacajao )
  • Bartsakis ( Chiropotes )
  • Sakis ( Pithecia )
  • Antilles monkeys ( Xenotrichini ) †

The first three groups form a well-documented common lineage. Sometimes accordingly be clawed and / or night monkeys in the Capuchin -like ( Cebidae ) inserted. The exact family relationships shown in the following cladogram:

Tamarins ( Saguinus )

Pygmy Marmoset ( Cebuella )

Marmoset ( Mico )

Marmoset ( Callithrix subgen. Callithrix )

Jumps Amarin ( Callimico )

Lion tamarins ( Leontopithecus )

Squirrel monkeys ( Saimiri )

Ungehaubte Capuchin ( Cebus )

Gehaubte Capuchin ( Sapajus )

Owl monkeys ( Aotus )

Howler monkeys ( Alouatta )

Woolly monkeys ( Lagothrix )

Spider monkeys ( Brachyteles )

Spider monkeys ( Ateles )

Titi monkeys ( Callicebus )

Bartsakis ( Chiropotes )

Uakaris ( Cacajao )

Sakis ( Pithecia )

Euarchontoglires Simian Yellow-tailed woolly monkey
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