Edited by Patricia C. Wright, Elwyn L. Simons, and Sharon Gursky Rutgers University Press, 2003 FROM THE DUST JACKET Tarsiiformes, or tarsiers for short, are a group of living species whose combination of derived and ancient characteristics make them pivotal to understanding the roots of primate evolution. These small-bodied, nocturnal, solitary creatures resemble lower primates in their behavior and morphology, while some genetic evidence aligns them more closely with higher primates, such as monkeys, apes, and humans. This unique combination of behavior and anatomy makes the tarsier an especially interesting and controversial animal for study among primate behaviorists, evolutionists, and taxonomists, who view the tarsiers as "living fossils" that link past and present, lower and higher primates in the long chain of evolutionary history. Contributors to this volume draw on a range of scientific disciplines to provide a detailed examination of the past, present, and future of these intriguing primates. Patricia C. Wright is a professor of anthropology at SUNY, Stony Brook and director of the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, Stony Brook and Madagascar. Elwyn L. Simons is James B. Duke Professor of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy and the head of the Division of Fossil Primates of the Duke University Primate Center where, with Wright, he established one of the world's only viable captive tarsier colonies. A member of the National Academy of Science (U.S.A.), he is the author of Primate Evolution: An Introduction to Man s Place in Nature. Sharon Gursly is an assistant professor of anthropology at Texas A&M University. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ix List of Tables xiii Acknowledgments xv Introduction Patricia C. Wright, Elwyn L. Simons, and Sharon Gursky 1 PART 1: PAST: Origins, Phylogeny, Anatomy, and Genetics CHAPTER 1: The Fossil Record of Tarsier Evolution Elwyn L. Simons 9 CHAPTER 2: The Evolution of the Tarsiid Niche Nina G. Jablonski 35 CHAPTER 3: How Close Are the Similarities between Tarsius and Other Primates? Jeffrey H. Schwartz 50 CHAPTER 4: Morphometrics, Functional Anatomy, and the Biomechanics of Locomotion among Tarsiers Robert L. Anemone and Brett A. Nachman 97 CHAPTER 5: The Axial Skeleton of Primates: How Does Genus Tarsius Fit? Friderun A. Ankel-Simons and Cornelia Simons 121 CRAPTER 6: Phylogenetic Position of Tarsiers within the Order Primates: Evidence from y-GIobin DNA Sequences Carla M. Meireles, John Czelusniak, Scott L. Page, Derek E. Wildman, and Morris Goodman 145 CHAPTER 7: The Phylogenetic Position of Genus Tarsius: Whose Side Are You On? Anne D. Yoder 161 PART 2: PRESENT: Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, and Vocalizations CHAPTER 8: The Tarsiers of Sulawesi Colin P. Groves 179 CHAPTER 9: Outline of the Vocal Behavior of Tarsius spectrum: Call Features, Associated Behaviors, and Biological Functions Alexandra Nietsch 196 CHAPTER10: Territoriality in the Spectral Tarsier, Tarsius spectrum Sharon Gursky 221 CHAPTER11: The Natural History of the Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) Marian Dagosto, Daniel L. Gebo, and Cynthia N. Dolino 237 CHAPTER12: Can We Predict Seasonal Behavior and Social Organization from Sexual Dimorphism and Testes Measurements? Patricia C. Wright, Sharon T. Pochron, David H. Haring, and Elwyn L. Simons 260 PART3: FUTURE: Conservation CHAPTER13: History of Captive Conservation of Tarsiers Helena M. Fitch-Snyder 277 CHAPTER14: Are Tarsiers Silently Leaping into Extinction? Patricia C. Wright 296 The Editors and Contributors 309 Index 313 INTRODUCTION Why Tarsiers Interest Us Today tarsiers are relict primates, with only 4-7 species living on a few islands in Southeast Asia: although they are small-bodied and nocturnal, tarsiers have provided a century of controversy. The combination of derived and ancient characters seen in tarsiers makes them pivotal to understanding the roots of primate evolution. The tarsiers' unusual diet and reproduction provide a unique perspective to understanding primate behavioral ecology, while their specialized anatomy shows us how primates can solve a wide range of functional needs. Tarsiers provide one astounding fact after another. The world's most carnivorous primate, tarsiers exclusively eat live animals, predominantly insects, reptiles, and amphibians (Niemitz, 1984a; Gursky, 2000a). Among the smallest primates (80-150 g), tarsier eyes are bigger than their brains (Sprankel, 1965). Small and smooth, tarsier brains resemble carnivore rather than primate brains (Rosa et al.,1996). Estrous females have swollen red vulvas like Old World monkeys (Wright et al., 1986a), and tarsiers produce huge newborn infants, up to 25-30 percent of the mother's weight (Haring and Wright, 1989). Tarsiers gestate for six months-several weeks longer than macaques or capuchins, which are orders of magnitude larger than tarsiers (Izard et al., 1985; Gursky, 1997)-yet tarsier mothers wean infants within two months of birth-instead of 12-18 months like macaques and capuchins (Haring and Wright, 1989). Tarsier mothers give birth to one offspring at a time yet have 4-6 nipples (Wright et al., 1986b). Unlike other primates that produce large infants, tarsier fathers provide relatively little paternal care (Gursky,2000b). Since infants are so heavy, mothers and other group members rarely transport them. Instead, a mother will park her infant on branches while she forages nearby (Gursky, 2000b). Tarsiers can turn their head 180 degrees in either direction (Ankel-Simons, 2000) enabling them to see both prey and predators. Owls can do this, but no other mammal can. Tarsiers have extremely long legs, and large hands and feet for their body size-adaptations for leaps of Olympic dimensions (Fleagle, 1998). Their anklebones are elongated-up to four times longer than other same-sized primates-and their leg bones (fibula and tibia) are fused, the only primate to have this special anatomy for extraordinary leaping (Woollard, 1925; Gebo, 1987). Unresolved Questions The relationship of tarsiers to other primates, both living and fossil, has been a source of debate for over a century. No other primate generates so much controversy. What is the tarsier's true phylogeny? Morphological evidence, including soft-tissue characteristics, suggests that tarsiers are closely related to small nocturnal prosimian primates (femurs, lorises, and bush babies), called strepsirhine primates. However, another suite of anatomical and reproductive characters suggests that tarsiers may be more closely related to monkeys, apes, and humans, called haplorhine primates. The controversy extends to the fossil record. Are tarsiers derived from omomyids, a group of Eocene prosimians? Are they from their own special branch? Did they share a common ancestry with the stock that produced monkeys, apes, and humans, the adapids? Recently the debate has taken a geographic twist: did tarsiers arise in Africa (Simons and Bown, 1985) or Asia (Beard, 1998)? And as for modern tarsiers, how many extant species are there? The answers range from three to seven. How do these rarely studied species behave in the wild? What is their social organization? And should tarsiers be a conservation priority? WHERE TO ORDER: Rutgers University Press 100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue Piscataway, NJ 08854 Phone: 800-446-9323 Fax: 888-471-9014 Website: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu ISBN: 0813532361 (cloth) $75.00 USD (Shipping--no charge) Posted Date: 6/25/2003
URL: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/review/tarsiersppf.html
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