Parity as a Determinant of Birth Weight in the Rhesus Monkey

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Abstract
The functional and anatomical aspects of the tail of Tarsius ban-canus and Tarsius syrichta were analyzed by observations of the animals in captivity and by examining the structure of preserved tails. All 3 species of Tarsius, including Tarsius spectrum, possess a tail which supports them while resting, and enables them to maintain an upright position on branches. The Tarsius syrichta and Tarsius bancanus both have a friction skin on the ventro-proximal area of the tail. In the former this is represented by a naked ball, and the latter additionally shows papillary ridges. Among the primates, Tarsius bancanus is the only example in which such a friction skin develops post-natally. This finding indicates the low phylogenetic age of this structure. Along with existing evidence for the Tarsius spectrum, the present findings on the Tarsius syrichta and Tarsius bancanus on the differentiation of the skin of the tail indicate that these animals represent a successively ascending phylogenetical row, in this order. The phylogenetic development that is seen is that of adaptation to arboreal life. The anatomical findings, including those of the morphology of the skeleton, are compatible with the observations on the function of the tail. The differentiations of the friction skin of the tail of Tarsius bancanus are compared with those of the prehensile tails of South American monkeys, and the structural differences are supported by the differences in function. New observations by field ethologists of the ecology of Tarsius bancanus and Tarsius syrichta are recorded. The idea of a successively ascending phylogenetical row is further supported when comparing the reproductive behavior of these 2 species of Tarsius, and when comparing them to the Microcebus and the Galago.

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