Primates: Locomotion

Lemurs (Prosimians/Strepsirhini)

Environment: Lemurs are naturally found only Madagascar; lemurs live in a variety of habitats. Some live in moist, tropical rainforests, while others live in dry desert areas. They tend to spend most of their time in trees and bushes.

Locomotion:  The locomotion of lemurs depends on the different species.

Indris: Vertical clinging and leaping

Bamboo lemurs: Vertical clinging and leaping

Mesopropithecus: Slow arboreal quadrupedal

True lemurs: Fast arboreal quadrupedal

Ruffed lemurs: Fast arboreal quadrupedal

Ring-tailed Lemur: Partially terrestrial quadrupedal

Monkey lemurs: Highly terrestrial quadrupedal

Sloth lemurs: Sloth-like suspensory locomotion

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/lemurs-behavior.html

Spider Monkey (New World Monkey/Platyrrhini

Environment: Spider Monkeys are arboreal, thriving in the upper canopy, spider monkeys hunt with ease and without the competition of other primates.

Locomotion: Spider monkeys are quadrupedal they use all four limbs when walking and running. They also use suspensory locomotion used when hanging, climbing or moving through the trees and bipedalism, using only two limbs when leaping.

http://www.honoluluzoo.org/spider_monkey.htm

Baboon (Old World Monkey/Cercopithecidae)

Environment: Baboons are found mostly in Africa. Baboons are said to beadaptable and can live around humans. Baboon’s prefer to live around water and tall trees.

Locomotion: Baboons are quadruped they walk on their toes and heels.

Gibbon (Lesser ape/Hylobatidae)

Environment: The different species of gibbons live in different parts of southeast Asia, from China to the Malay peninsula, Burma, and North Sumatra.  They live around old growth tropical rain forests.

Gibbons are known to be acrobatic, their locomotion pattern is brachiating. They move by swinging from one hold to another by arms. They are adapted for this locomotion; they use the length of their forelimbs, hook- like fingers and mobility of their shoulders.

Chimpanzee (Great ape/Hominida)

Environment: Chimpanzee’s live in rainforests they are also able to inhabit drier and less densely treed areas, provided they have access to stands of forest where they can take shelter and search for food.

Locomotion: Chimpanzees usually walk on the soles of feet and the knuckles of their hands. They can walk upright, when they need to use their arms to carry something, but usually don't. They are also very good at climbing trees, where they spend much of their time, including when they sleep. They can swing from branch to branch in the trees which is called brachiating. 

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/apes/chimp/

Influence of environment on locomotion: Lemur’s are found in rain forests among various other animals. They stay on the ground and trees. On the ground they are amongst predators so they have the capability to hide on tall tress to protect themselves, this also applies to Spider Monkeys and Gibbons. Spider Monkeys and Gibbons spend most of their time on high trees they are able to swing from one tree to another.Their food is also mostly found on trees such as fruit and on the ground they are able to find plants. Chimpanzees are quadrupeds which help them walk on the ground and climb trees. They also sleep on trees so they won’t be among dangerous animals on the ground. These animals have adapted very well to their environment because of environmental influences their locomotion does slightly differ from one another.

The level of influence the environment has on these animals is tremendous. These primates live with various species and they all compete for food and shelter. Without their different locomotor skills they would not be able to survive with other species in the same environment. The locomotor traits protects these animals, these skills help them find shelter and food. They adapted to the environment that they were secure in which helped them survive. Most of these primates live around tall trees so they learned to climb and leap and when they are on the ground they can climb on the trees again. Without their locomotion skills they would not have the capability to live amongst other species.