Question

Trait: Reduced snout What does a reduced snout in the primates tell us about their activity patterns and lifestyle? How does this differ from the cat, which in the wild, is a predator. HTML Editore B IV A - A - IX EI 321xX, - Doo 2 NV VD 1 2pt E - Paragraph - ©

Answer 1

The reduction of the snout in primates is a correlate of the diminution of the sense of smell, or olfaction. To a great extent, visual acuity and manual dexterity have replaced the sensitive, inquiring nose found in so many nonprimate mammals. A marked reduction in the complexity of the nasal concha (“scroll” bones of the nose), the richness of the innervation of the olfactory mucous membrane, and the sensitivity of the moist tip of the nose—the rhinarium—are associated with the reduction in length of the primate snout. Still, although the trend in primate evolution is toward a dethronement of the primacy of the sense of smell, there are still some good snouts to be seen in those lower primates that retain a naked moist rhinarium attached to the upper lip.