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PubMed2005

Foraging behaviour of the slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus): implications for theories of primate origins.

Members of the Order Primates are characterised by a wide overlap of visual fields or optic convergence. It has been proposed that exploitation of either insects or angiosperm products in the terminal branches of trees, and the corresponding complex, three-dimensional environment associated with these foraging strategies, account for visual convergence. Although slender lorises (Loris sp.) are the most visually convergent of all the primates, very little is known about their feeding ecology. This study, carried out over 10 (1/2) months in South India, examines the feeding behaviour of L. lydekkerianus lydekkerianus in relation to hypotheses regarding visual predation of insects. Of 1238 feeding observations, 96% were of animal prey. Lorises showed an equal and overwhelming preference for terminal and middle branch feeding, using the undergrowth and trunk rarely. The type of prey caught on terminal branches (Lepidoptera, Odonata, Homoptera) differed significantly from those caught on middle branches (Hymenoptera, Coleoptera). A two-handed catch accompanied by bipedal postures was used almost exclusively on terminal branches where mobile prey was caught, whereas the more common capture technique of one-handed grab was used more often on sturdy middle branches to obtain slow moving prey. Although prey was detected with senses other than vision, vision was the key sense used upon the final strike. This study strongly supports the notion that hunting for animal prey was a key ecological determinant in selecting for visual convergence early on in primate evolution. The extreme specialisations of slender lorises, however, suggest that early primates were not dedicated faunivores and lend further support to the emerging view that both insects and fruits were probably important components of the diet of basal primates, and that exploitation of fruits may account for other key primate traits.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Kinematics of vertical climbing in lorises and Cheirogaleus medius.

The type of climbing exhibited by apes and atelines is argued to have been important in the evolution of specialized locomotion, such as suspensory locomotion and bipedalism. However, little is known about the mechanics of climbing in primates. Previous work shows that Asian apes and atelines use larger joint excursions and longer strides than African apes and the Japanese macaque, respectively. This study expands knowledge of climbing mechanics by providing the first quantitative kinematic data for vertical climbing in four prosimian species: three lorisid species (Loris tardigradus, Nycticebus coucang, and Nycticebus pygmaeus) that share with apes and atelines morphological traits arguably related to climbing, and a more generalized quadruped, Cheirogaleus medius. Subjects were videotaped as they climbed up a wooden pole. Kinematic values, such as step length and limb excursions, were calculated and compared between species. The results of this study show that lorises, like Asian apes and spider monkeys, use relatively larger joint excursions and longer steps than does C. medius during climbing. These data lend further support to the idea that some primate species (e.g., lorises, atelines, and apes) are more specialized kinematically and morphologically for climbing than others. Pilot data suggest that such kinematic differences in climbing style across broad phylogenetic groups may relate to the energetics of climbing. Such data may be important for understanding the morphological and kinematic adaptations to climbing exhibited by some primates.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1981

Miocene lorisid primates from the Pakistan Siwaliks.

In 1975-79, joint expeditions from Yale University and the Geological Survey of Pakistan (YGSP) recovered fossil lorisids in the Siwalik Group of Pakistan from four localities, spanning a period before 10 Myr ago to about 7 Myr ago. In three of the localities, only isolated teeth or fragments were found, whereas the fourth and youngest locality yielded dental, cranial and some postcranial remains of a single individual described here as a new genus and species. These specimens are the first fossil lorisids known from outside East Africa, and include the only recovered postcranial remains from slow-moving arboreal lorisines. The findings indicate that significant tracts of forests in the Siwalik environmental mosaic may have been utilized by ominoid primates, notably Ramapithecus.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

L1 family of repetitive DNA sequences in primates may be derived from a sequence encoding a reverse transcriptase-related protein.

Primate and rodent genomes contain a family of highly repetitive, long interspersed sequences, designated the L1 family or LINE-1. Characteristic features of the L1 family sequences such as an A-rich stretch at the 3' end, a truncated 5' end, the existence of significantly long open reading frames (ORFs) and the presence of L1 family transcripts in various types of cells, including pluripotential embryonic cells, suggest that the L1 family is derived from a sequence encoding a protein(s) and dispersed in the genome through an RNA-mediated process. These features of the L1 family are believed to be due to reverse transcription beginning at the 3' end of the L1 transcript and terminating prematurely and to the site duplication caused by the insertion of the complementary DNA. It is likely that this type of transcript is converted to cDNA and inserted into the chromosome through a process similar to that of the formation of processed pseudogenes. The above model, however, does not necessarily explain why the L1 family should produce the extraordinarily large number of copies (more than 10(4) per haploid genome) seen during evolution. It seems likely that the progenitor of the L1 family itself carries (or carried) a function which promotes the active dispersion of the L1 family sequence. We reasoned that such a function, if present, must be conserved during evolution and may be shown by comparative analysis of L1 family sequences from evolutionarily distant species. We show here that the L1 family sequence contains an ORF possessing significant sequence homology to several RNA-dependent DNA polymerases of viral and transposable element origins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Fossil evidence for an ancient divergence of lorises and galagos.

Morphological, molecular, and biogeographic data bearing on early primate evolution suggest that the clade containing extant (or 'crown') strepsirrhine primates (lemurs, lorises and galagos) arose in Afro-Arabia during the early Palaeogene, but over a century of palaeontological exploration on that landmass has failed to uncover any conclusive support for that hypothesis. Here we describe the first demonstrable crown strepsirrhines from the Afro-Arabian Palaeogene--a galagid and a possible lorisid from the late middle Eocene of Egypt, the latter of which provides the earliest fossil evidence for the distinctive strepsirrhine toothcomb. These discoveries approximately double the previous temporal range of undoubted lorisiforms and lend the first strong palaeontological support to the hypothesis of an ancient Afro-Arabian origin for crown Strepsirrhini and an Eocene divergence of extant lorisiform families.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Microsatellite analysis of kinkajou social organization.

Kinkajou social groups generally consist of one adult female, two males, one subadult and one juvenile. Based on analysis of variation in 11 microsatellite loci, we assess the degree of kinship within and between four social groups totaling 25 kinkajous. We use exclusion and likelihood analyses to assign parents for seven of the eight offspring sampled, five with >/= 95% certainty, and two with >/= 80% certainty. Five of six identified sires of group offspring came from the same social group as the mother and pup. Adult males and females within a group were unrelated and subadults and juveniles were offspring of the group adults, suggesting a family structure. All five identified paternities within a social group were by the dominant male of the group. However, this copulation asymmetry does not necessarily reflect cooperation due to kinship ties between the two adult males within a group as one of two adult male pairs sampled was unrelated. Neighbouring male kinkajous were more closely related to each other than neighbouring female kinkajous, suggesting that females disperse more often or farther than males.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Genomic sequence and transcriptional profile of the boundary between pericentromeric satellites and genes on human chromosome arm 10p.

Contiguous finished sequence from highly duplicated pericentromeric regions of human chromosomes is needed if we are to understand the role of pericentromeric instability in disease, and in gene and karyotype evolution. Here, we have constructed a BAC contig spanning the transition from pericentromeric satellites to genes on the short arm of human chromosome 10, and used this to generate 1.4 Mb of finished genomic sequence. Combining RT-PCR, in silico gene prediction, and paralogy analysis, we can identify two domains within the sequence. The proximal 600 kb consists of satellite-rich pericentromerically duplicated DNA which is transcript poor, containing only three unspliced transcripts. In contrast, the distal 850 kb contains four known genes (ZNF248, ZNF25, ZNF33A, and ZNF37A) and up to 32 additional transcripts of unknown function. This distal region also contains seven out of the eight intrachromosomal duplications within the sequence, including the p arm copy of the approximately 250-kb duplication which gave rise to ZNF33A and ZNF33B. By sequencing orthologs of the duplicated ZNF33 genes we have established that ZNF33A has diverged significantly at residues critical for DNA binding but ZNF33B has not, indicating that ZNF33B has remained constrained by selection for ancestral gene function. These results provide further evidence of gene formation within intrachromosomal duplications, but indicate that recent interchromosomal duplications at this centromere have involved transcriptionally inert, satellite rich DNA, which is likely to be heterochromatic. This suggests that any novel gene structures formed by these interchromosomal events would require relocation to a more open chromatin environment to be expressed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Cystic fibrous osteodystrophy of the jaw in two pet kinkajous (Potos flavus).

Two kinkajous (Potos flavus), which were separately owned as pets and fed an inappropriate diet consisting almost exclusively of succulent fruits developed cystic fibrous osteodystrophy of the jaw. In both cases there was a prominent enlargement of the chin and lower jaw, decalcification of facial bones, softening of the gingiva, and severe malocclusion, but no other relevant changes. Clinical, radiographic and histological findings were consistent with cystic fibrous osteodystrophy. The findings suggest that kinkajous with this condition are particularly prone to developing a bulbous enlargement of the chin as the main clinical sign, and that this change is histologically similar to the cystic form of the disease observed in man and monkeys.

Animals↗