Dentition Patterns

Dentition Patterns:

Lemurs:

Lemurs are arboreal – they live in trees. Lemurs can easily adapt to any environment which allows them to live all over the place, but they are mainly found in rainforests.

Lemurs are herbivores and rely on a variety of food for survival but their main diet is nuts and fruits. The dentition pattern of a lemur is 2-1-3-3 (incisors, canine, premolars, molars). The lemur’s incisors are mainly used for grooming and are commonly broken.

 

Spider Monkey:

Spider monkeys live in rainforest areas, preferably with a canopy of trees. They are usually in moist areas but will live in dryer locations if they must.

The diet of a spider monkey is mainly fruits. If they must, they will eat other items, but they swallow them whole. They will eat sap or tree bark if they must. The dentition pattern of a spider monkey is 2-1-3-3.

Baboon:
Baboons can be found in tropical or dry areas. They are very versatile primates. They spend a great deal of time both in the tress and on the land. A change to their environment doesn’t seem to bother them.

Due to their versatility of land and trees, their diet can differ. Baboons mainly consume plants but they will also eat insects and small animals. The dentition pattern of a baboon is 2-1-2-3.

Gibbon:
Like lemurs, gibbons are arboreal – they live in trees, in tropical regions.

The majority of a gibbon’s diet is fruit; however, they also consume many other different foods found in the trees - such as twigs, leaves, flowers, insects, and eggs. The dentition pattern of a gibbon is 2-1-2-3.

Chimpanzee:

Chimpanzees are very adaptable and dwell in rainforests, woodlands, and grasslands. Chimpanzees spend much of their time in trees for mobility, shelter, and food sources.

Chimps normally consume a diet of fruits and plants, but they also eat other things such as small animals and insects. The dentition pattern of a chimpanzee is 2-1-2-3.

In Summary:

All of these primates are heterodonts. They each have a combination of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. The lemurs and the spider monkeys share the same pattern of 2-1-3-3 where the baboons, gibbons, and chimpanzees share the pattern of 2-1-2-3.

The canines on these primates are used to tear through their food, although the sizes of the canines differ for each primate. Lemurs and spider monkeys have smaller canines due to their restricted diet. The chimpanzees, baboons, and gibbons consume small animals and insects, so these primates have larger canines. The baboon, gibbon, and chimpanzee’s canine is also used for intimidation.

As all of these primates are tree-dwelling, their dentition pattern is matched for consuming a diet that can be found in the trees.