Cole Burgess

ANTH-2281

January 22nd, 2017

Primates in Peril

Primates are some of the most heavily endangered mammals on earth today. This can be

expressed by The Worlds 25 Most Endangered Primates: 2014-2016 (file:///C:/Users/Cole

%20Burgess/Downloads/Primates%20in%20Peril%202014-2016.pdf) which list the 25 primates

at risk of becoming endangered. The list from 2014-2016 varies from previous lists because 8 of

the primates have been removed from the list. Sadly, they were not removed because their

conditions have improved, but because they have worsened for most of them. For example, the

Microcebus berthae has been severely impacted by the effect of deforestation in western

Madagascar. The list was ultimately changed from previous lists to incorporate other closely

related species with similar bleak potential outcomes regarding the species future. This paper

will discuss four different species of primates from different continents, the threats that face them

and the actions required to save them.

The first primate is the Grauer gorilla, their diet mainly consists of herbs, leaves, bark,

vines and seasonal fruit when it is available. It is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies
weighing up to 440 pounds and up to 5 feet tall (http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/eastern-

lowland-gorilla). They are located in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and typically live

between 600 m and 2,900 m above sea level. These primates were first surveyed in 1959 and

were found to be threatened largely by destruction of habitat and hunting, measures were taken

to help in conservation after this point. More surveillance was done in the 1990s and it was

determined that the gorillas were still being highly threatened with endangerment, with the total

number surviving to be about 16,900. Actions need to be taken to help secure the future for these

primates such as, reducing human expansion to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and

stopping the illegal bush meat trade. In stopping or reducing human expansion we would

conserve the land for the primates, and stopping the illegal market for them would cut down on

hunting.

(Goodman, Jeff. www.photoshot.com Eastern

lowland gorilla in threat posture. http://www.arkive.org/eastern-gorilla/gorilla-beringei/image-

G112655.html)
 The next primate is the Red Ruffed Lemur, it has an entire body length of 50-55 cm and

weighs no more than 3.6 kg. It is one of the larger members of the Lemuridae with a red body

and black tail, hand/feet and face although there are other color variations. They reside in

primary and secondary moist lowland forests in and around northeastern Madagascar. These

lemurs are classified as critically endangered due to threats such as, hunting and loss of habitat.

The habitat was greatly impacted after much illegal logging after political events that took place

early in 2009. The IUCN lemur conservation strategy 2013-2016 (Schwitzer et al. 2013) plans to

help conserve Masoala National Park by enforcing more patrols, greater surveillance and

programs regarding environmental education and awareness.

(Harrison, Nathan. www.nathan-harrison.com. Red Ruffed

Lemur Climbing. http://www.arkive.org/red-ruffed-lemur/varecia-rubra/)

The Philippine Tarsier is a collection of at least three evolutionary significant units which do not

perfectly conform to the three deductible subspecies, creating an uncertain situation in which

some populations face imminent threat of extinction (file:///C:/Users/Cole

%20Burgess/Downloads/Primates%20in%20Peril%202014-2016.pdf). They range from 3.35 to

6.3 inches in height and they weigh no more than 5.6 ounces typically, this makes them one of

the smallest primates (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_tarsier). The Tarsier resides in the

Philippines, which has as little as 7% of the total land remaining forested. This is a major threat

to the population of the Tarsier, and adding to this the high frequency of typhoons along with

global warming also play a major part in the treats facing this species. To aid the many threats

that the Tarsiers face the Philippines we need to improve the knowledge that we possess of the

species and their exact numbers. In doing this we would be able to determine if there is a suitable

non-forest habitat that they could live in with the mass amounts of deforestation that is taking
place in the Philippines. (Fidenci, Pierre.

Philippine Tarsier. http://www.arkive.org/philippine-tarsier/tarsius-syrichta/image-G33060.html)

The Brown Spider Monkey, also known as Ateles Hybridus is another one of the many

endangered primate species. They are large bodied primates that vary in color from browns to

greys. They have slow reproductive cycles in which females dont have their first offspring until

they around the age of 7 or 8, then they give birth to single offspring every three or four years

(file:///C:/Users/Cole%20Burgess/Downloads/Primates%20in%20Peril%202014-2016.pdf).

They optimally live in large undisturbed forests, however this type of habitat is becoming scarce

in Columbia and Venezuelan, where the brown spider monkey is restricted to. Because of the

monkeys larger body this makes them much more susceptible to hunting which is one of the

major threats to their extinction. Along with being heavily hunted, much of the monkeys natural

habitat is being transformed into farms and ranches leaving less places for them to survive. One

major action that need to take place in assistance with the conservation of these primates is to cut

down human expansion into their habitat as well as creating protected areas for them to reside in.
 (Panzella, Mella. Variegated Spider

Monkey Hanging from a Branch. http://www.arkive.org/variegated-spider-monkey/ateles-

hybridus/image-G15631.html)

After researching various primates that are at serious risk for extinction, it is clear that

humans are the main driving factor behind the threats. With almost every single primate on the

list of The Worlds 25 most Endangered Primates: 2014-2016 the main threats to the animals

survival and prosperous future is deforestation and hunting. Primates also face threats that all

creatures on earth, including humans face such as, global warming. However global warming

could also be considered a human caused threat as well as hunting and deforestation. As one of

these human beings, I add to the constant threat of global warming every day by simply driving a

car and using electricity in my home. In summation, to help in the conservation of all primate

species, humans need to first become more aware of the issue at hand as well as be conscious to

the environment and the creatures that live within it. Although the issue of primate endangerment

seems too out of hand for any one human to handle, if all humans did their part then a difference
can potentially be made. If one feels strongly enough on this issue, the most helpful thing any

individual can do is become aware of the problem and help to raise awareness in others.

References:

The list of The Worlds 25 Most Endangered Primates: 2014-2016 file:///C:/Users/Cole

%20Burgess/Downloads/Primates%20in%20Peril%202014-2016.pdf
For all images on this document: http://www.arkive.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_tarsier
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/eastern-lowland-gorilla