1a. Produce young in eggs. Australia and vicinity.
Order Monotremata........................................................................ 2
INFO LINK 1b. Young spend early life in pouch. Usually Australian.
Order Marsupialia........................................................................... 3
INFO LINK
IMAGES LINK
1c. Sloths, anteaters, armadillos, and relatives.
Order Edentata................................................................................ 4
LINKS LIST
1d. Front limbs adapted as membranous wings.
Order Chiroptera............................................................................. 5
INFO LINK
1e. Bodies rounded to oval; tails with little to no hair; usually 4 toes
on front foot, 5 on back; have 2 front, incisor teeth above
and 2 below, and teeth grow continuously, requiring
constant wear. Order Rodentia...................................................... 7
INFO LINK
1f. Similar to 1e, but tails are short and hairy; flaps on lips allow
closed-mouth gnawing; nostrils can be closed; ears may
be long. Order Lagomorpha........................................................ 11
INFO LINK
1g. Totally aquatic, commonly marine; streamlined, fish-like bodies.
front limbs modified as paddles; real limbs absent;
tails are
modified as flukes; head usually not distinct from body.
Order Cetacea................................................................................ 12
INFO LINK
1h. Five toes on front foot, four or five on rear foot; canine teeth
are relatively large. Primarily meat eaters.
Order Carnivora............................................................................ 16
INFO LINK
1i. Mostly aquatic, with legs and feet modified into flippers, although
still capable of movement on land. Order Pinnipedia................ 24
MORE
1j. Totally aquatic, with distinct head but no hind limbs; nostrils are
on top of snout; muzzle is hairy. Order Sirenia............................ 25
INFO LINK
1k. Quite large; nose modified as trunk; males have large tusks.
Order Proboscidea,
Family Elephantidae............................. 26
INFO LINK
1l. Feet have one or three toes, modified as hooves; front of skull
is quite lengthened. Order Perissodactyla................................. 27
INFO LINK
1m. Feet have two or four toes, sometimes modified as hooves,
with the middle two usually bearing the most weight.
Order Artiodactyla......................................................................... 28
INFO LINK
1n. Hands are grasping, with opposable thumbs, usually with
similar feet;
snout / nose is short; often have good
eyesight; brain is well-developed; often have tail.
Order Primates............................................................................... 32
INFO LINK
1o. Moderate in size; have furred membrane from neck to front
limbs and from front feet to hind feet and to tail.
Southeast Asia.
Flying Lemurs. Order Dermoptera,
Family Cynocephalidae........................... Genus Cynocephalus
INFO LINK
1p. Back is covered by fused hairs forming overlapping scales;
tongue very long and muscular, attached internally to pelvis;
no teeth;
skull is smooth cone; stout limbs with large
curved claws.
Pangolins. Order Pholidota,
Family Manidae.......................................................... Genus Manis
INFO LINK
1q. Skin is thick, sparsely haired; yellowish-brown to gray-brown;
head is cone-shaped, with pig-like snout, and large ears;
claws are large and thick, almost hoof-like. Aardvarks.
Order
Tubilidenta, Family
Orycteropodidae,
Genus Orycteropus............................................
Orycteropus afer
INFO LINK
1r. Front feet with 5 toes, back feet with 3, or which the inner toe
is clawed and the others have hoof-like nails; soles are
soft and adapted as nearly suction cups. Africa and the
Middle East.
Hyraxes. Order Hyracoidea... Family Procaviidae
INFO LINK
2a. Resembles a hedgehog: round body with spiny hair; long
snout. Echidnas
or spiny anteaters. Australia, Tasmania,
New
Guinea................................................ Family Tachyglossidae
2b. Duck-like bill; webbed, paddle-like feet; flattened tail; poison
spur.
Platypus. Family Ornithorhynchidae,
Genus
Ornithorhynchus.............................. Ornithorhynchus anatinus
NOTE: Several Marsupial Families not in Key.
3a.
American opossums.............................................. Family Didelphidae
INFO LINK
3b. Tasmanian "devils." Family Dasyuridae.............
Order Sarcophilus
3c. Koala "bears." Family
Phalangeridae, Genus Phascolarctos
............................................................ Phascolarctos cinereus
3d. Heavy-bodied, with large heads. Burrowers.
Wombats.
.............................................................. Family Phascolomidae
3e. Bipedal, with powerful back legs for hopping and heavy,
balancing tail.
Kangaroos........................... Family
Macropodidiae
4a. Somewhat flattened body, with coarse hair; powerful clawed
feet.
Anteaters..................................... Family Myrmecophagidae
4b. Slow-moving tree-dwellers; generally hang from branches.
Tree Sloths.................................................... Family Bradypodidae
4c. Skin covering is thickened and hardened.
Armadillos.
................................................................ Family Dasypodidiae
5a. Commonly active during times of at least moderate light;
rarely any kind of sonar system; often plant eaters.
Includes Flying Foxes.......................... Suborder Macrochiroptera
5b. Commonly active at night; usually have a sonar sensing
system;
commonly predators, especially of insects.
Suborder Microchiroptera............................................................. 6
NOTE: Microchiroptera Families here are American only.
6a. Tip of nose has projection upward of triangular flap.
Leafnosed Bats....................................... Family Phyllostomatidae
6b. No modification of nose or muzzle; possess membrane
connecting the legs; tail reaches to back edge of
membrane.................................................. Family Vespertilionidae
6c. May have minor modifications of nose or muzzle; possess
membrane connecting the legs; tail extends well beyond
back edge of membrane. Freetailed
Bats...... Family Molossidae
NOTE: Many Rodent Families are not included in this Key.
7a. Semiaquatic; tail distinctly flattened; build complex dams
and dens.
Beavers. Family Castoridae,
Genus Castor.................................................................................... 8
7b. New World Rats and Mice, True Hamsters, Gerbils, and
Relatives.
Family Cricetinae..........................................................
9
7c. Old World Rats and Mice. Commonly found in New World,
having spread with colonization. Family Muridae....................... 10
7d. Tail covered with hair, often bushy. Almost always day-active.
Chipmunks, Woodchucks (Marmots), Gophers, and
Squirrels, including "Flying" Squirrels and Ground
Squirrels.
......................................................................... Family Sciuridae
7e. Usually small; have fur-lined cheek pouches; weak front feet
but powerful rear feet and legs; tail usually long. Night
active.
Includes Kangaroo Rats and Mice and Pocket
Mice................................................................ Family Heteromyidae
7f. Heavyset, with large head and short legs. Many hairs
modified as quills, which lack barbs. Old World
Porcupines......................................................... Family Hystricidae
7g. Like 7f, but with barbed quills. New World
Porcupines.
............................................................... Family Erethizontidae
7h. Guinea Pigs and
Relatives......................................... Family Caviidae
7i. Moderate to large; hind limbs well-developed, longer than
front limbs;
tails are bushy and somewhat short; eyes
and ears somewhat large;
feet have fleshy pads;
front feet with 4 toes, back with 4 or fewer;
fine fur,
gray or gray-brown. Chinchillas and Viscacha.
.................................................................. Family Chinchillidae
7j. Moderate to quite large size (for a rodent). Central and
South America.
Capybaras. Family Hydrochoeridae.
................................................................ Genus Hydrochoerus
8a. European
Beavers............................................................... Castor fiber
8b. North American
Beavers........................................ Castor canadensis
NOTE: Many Cricetinae Genera not in Key.
9a. Feet are white; bellies are usually white; tail is long.
Deer Mice and White-Footed Mice............... Genus Peromyscus
9b. Rat-like, but with hair on tails, larger ears, and often
white
feet and bellies. Wood Rats and
Packrats.......... Genus Neotoma
9c. Ears and tail are small; fur is dense and long. True
Lemmings................................................................ Genus Lemmus
9d. Relatively large; semiaquatic, with tail flattened
side-to-
side.
Muskrats......................................................... Genus Ondatra
9e. Usually brownish-gray with long fur; small ears; somewhat
short tails; black, beady eyes.
Voles.................... Genus Microtus
9f. Fur brown above, white below; tails short. Includes most
pet hamsters. Genus Mesocricetus......... Mesocricetus
auratus
9g. Grayish, with somewhat weakened front legs and stranger
back legs.
Gerbils................................................... Genus Gerbillus
10a. Typical Rats. Almost 600
species................................ Genus Rattus
10b. Commonly grayish-brown and of uniform color, but
includes various laboratory
mice................................... Genus Mus
10c. Old World Wood and Field
Mice........................... Genus Apodemus
11a. Relatively moderate in size; fur is thick and soft; ears
longer than wide; limbs, especially hind limbs, are
long; skulls have distinct arch in profile. Rabbits and
Hares..................................................................... Family Leporidae
11b. Relatively small; fur is long and fine; ears are short and
rounded;
limbs short and equal in length; tails may not
be visible.
Pikas............................................. Family Ochotonidae
12a. Have distinct, individual teeth. Toothed Whales.
Suborder Odontoceti.................................................................... 13
12b. Teeth are highly adapted into a filtering structure.
Baleen Whales.
Suborder Mysticeti........................................... 15
13a. Small to moderate size; often have a "forehead" bulge
behind snout;
usually with dorsal fin, which often curves
backward; usually sleek, streamlined, and fast. Includes
many marine Dolphins, Killer Whales, and Pilot Whales.
Family Delphinidae....................................................................... 14
13b. Smallish; snout or beak not well-formed; head squarish,
jaws short;
flippers somewhat narrow and pointed;
body somewhat thick.
Porpoises................. Family Phocoenidae
13c. Small; snout is long and thin; forehead quite bulging;
eyes quite small; distinct neck; broad flippers.
Fresh Water, South America and Asia. River
dolphins.
.................................................................. Family Platanistidae
13d. 2 smaller species and 1 large species; head proportionately
large, with depression containing special organ, very large
or not;
jaw is well under the head; dorsal fin is low and
sickle-shaped or rounded. Sperm
Whales.
.................................................................. Family Physeteridae
13e. Moderate size; snout is long and narrow, sometimes
distinctly set off from forehead; dorsal fin fairly far back,
small and sickle-shaped; tail fluke with no notch in back
edge. Beaked
Whales........................................... Family Ziphiidae
13f. Moderate size; snout is short, with high forehead, or missing
with long curled tusk; no dorsal fin; white or white and black.
Narwhales and Beluga Whales................... Family Monodontidae
NOTE: Only a Few Delphinid Genera are Included.
14a. Snout is long and pointed, separated from forehead by
distinct groove;
back, flippers, and tail is dark, belly
whitish; an irregular "crisscross" band runs between the
two coloration areas.
Common Dolphins......... Genus Delphinus
14b. Snout is short and bottle-shaped; back is slightly
darker
gray than belly. Bottle-Nosed
Dolphins................. Genus Tursiops
14c. No snout; head is large and rounded, with somewhat
distinct upper lip;
flippers short and sickle-shaped;
dorsal fin located well forward;
black with white patch
underneath of varying length.
Pilot Whales.. Genus Globicephala
14d. Moderate to relatively large; snout is at best a blunt point
on the face;
flippers quite rounded; dorsal quite long,
straight or slightly curved back; black with large white
markings and white belly.
Killer Whales................ Genus Orcinus
15a. Large; heads are nearly one-third of total length; dorsal
fin quite small or
absent; flippers are short and rounded;
throat is smooth.
Right Whales and Bowhead Whales.
...................................................................... Family Balaenidae
15b. Throat and chest with deep lengthwise furrows; other
traits variable.
Includes Humpback, Blue, Fin, and
Minke
Whales.............................................. Family Belaeopteridae
15c. Large; body slender, with low dorsal hump; no dorsal fin;
flippers are broad; tail with folded ridge on upper surface;
throat with 2-3 short grooves. Gray Whales. Family
Eschrichtiidae, Genus Eschrichtius.... Eschrichtius robustus
NOTE: Not All Carnivore groups are Included.
16a. Moderate to large size; tail quite short; ears small and
rounded; five toes on front and back foot; walk on entire
foot. Bears.
Family Ursidae..........................................................
17
16b. Small to moderate size; pointed snout; long neck and long
slender body;
ears small and rounded; short legs; anal
scent glands; often found near or in water.
Family Mustelidae.......................................................................... 19
16c. Small to large size; snout is short, face relatively flat; ears
small, may be rounded or pointed; front claws can be
retracted; four toes on back foot. Cats.
Family Felidae................................................................................. 20
16d. Moderate size; snout somewhat long, often a bit pointed;
ears usually large and pointed, often erect; four toes on
back foot. Dogs. Family Canidae............................................... 22
16e. Small to moderate size; snout usually short, with broad
face; ears usually short and erect; all feet with 5 toes;
claws short, curved, sometimes partly retractable.
Family Procyonidae...................................................................... 23
16f. Bear-like but generally more plant-eaters; heads round,
snout short.
Pandas........................................... Family Ailurinidae
16g. Moderate to large size; head somewhat large, with rounded
ears;
front legs longer than back legs; tail bushy; often
marked with stripes or spots.
Hyenas............... Family Hyaenidae
17a. Coloration fairly uniform, except perhaps for snout or slightly
lighter underneath. Typical Bears. Genus Ursus........................ 18
17b. Relatively small; muzzle grayish-white to orange; eyes and
ears are small; often with yellowish crescent-shaped
marking on chest; tongue very long; claws very long and
curved.
Southeast Asia. Sun Bears. Genus Helarctos.
................................................................. Helarctos malayanus
17c. Large head; muzzle long and white; ears are rounded; hair
is long and shaggy, especially on back of neck and
shoulders; have whitish or yellowish "V"-shaped chest
marking; claws very long and hooked; no front incisors.
Central Southern Asia.
Sloth Bears. Genus Melursus.
....................................................................... Melursus ursinus
17d. Black, with yellow or white markings around the face,
sometimes
the chest. South American. Spectacled Bear.
Genus Tremarctos........................................ Tremarctos ornatus
18a. Moderate size; black, often with light muzzle; North American
Black
Bears......................................................... Ursus americanus
18b. May be quite large; usually dark brown, but may be quite
lighter or darker. Brown Bears and Grizzly
Bears..... Ursus arctos
18c. May be quite large; hair is white. Polar
Bears....... Ursus maritimus
18d. Black, but may have cream-colored crescent on chest
and similar color on lips and chin; has longer hair on
back of neck and shoulders. Asiatic Black
Bear.
........................................................................ Ursus thibetanus
NOTE: Several Mustelidae Groups Not Included.
19a. Fur is water-repellent, back toes are webbed. Found in or
near water.
Otters............................................. Subfamily Lutrinae
19b. Fur is mostly black, with white markings; body usually
somewhat stout; have powerful defensive scent glands.
Skunks........................................................... Subfamily Mephitinae
19c. Back is gray, with black belly and legs; face is white, with
dark stripe on each side; body is stocky, legs and tail
are short.
Eurasian Badgers. Subfamily Melinae,
Genus Meles................................................................
Meles meles
19d. Black, with white stripe running from above eyes, down
back where
they can be quite wide, to tail. Africa to India.
Ratel or Honey
Badger. Subfamily
Mellivorinae,
Genus Mellivora...............................................
Mellivora capensis
19e. Back is grayish to reddish; belly is light brown; face is
light with black patches and a white central stripe from
nose to shoulders or farther. North American Badger.
Subfamily
Taxidiinae, Genus Taxidea............... Taxidea taxus
19f. Body usually narrow and long, often with fine fur.
Includes Weasels, Ferrets, Martens, Fishers, Minks,
Ermine, Polecats, and
Wolverines............. Subfamily Mustelinae
20a. Usually relatively large; commonly covered with camouflage
markings. Subfamily Pantherinae,
Genus Panthera............... 21
20b. Small to moderate size; large group, including Lynx, Cougar,
Ocelot, Caracal, domestic cats, many others.
........................................................................ Subfamily Felinae
20c. Moderate to large, but slender, with small head; coat spotted,
black on yellowish; tail has rings and light end tuft; face has
spot
/ stripe from eyes to mouth; claws not fully retractable.
Cheetahs. Subfamily
Acinonychinae, Genus Acinonyx.
........................................................................ Acinonyx jubatus
NOTE: Included are only a few members of the Genus Panthera.
21a. Brownish, rather uniform in color; males often with dark
mane.
Lions.................................................................. Panthera leo
21b. Marked with black stripes against a white or orange coat.
Tigers.......................................................................... Panthera tigris
21c. Marked with spots, often relatively small, against a yellowish
coat.
African and Asian. Leopards...................... Panthera pardus
21d. Marked with spots, often rings, against a tan to orange coat.
Americas.
Jaguars..................................................... Panthera onca
NOTE: Not all Canidae Species are Included.
22a. Domestic dog and relatives, including wolf and dingo.
Genus Canis..................................................................
Canis lupus
22b. Large, erect ears; long, drooping tail; grayish, usually
with black stripe down back and across shoulders.
Coyotes. Genus Canis............................................... Canis latrans
22c. Relatively smaller; ears quite large. Common Jackals
and Golden Jackals. Genus Canis........................... Canis aureus
22d. Common Red Fox. Genus Vulpes............................. Vulpes vulpes
22e. Arctic Fox. Genus Alopex......................................... Alopex lagopus
22f. Grey Fox. Genus Urocyon...................... Urocyon cinereoargentus
23a. Long, prehensile tail; yellowish-brown coat; rounded head
and ears. Kinkajous. Genus Potos............................ Potos flavus
23b. Long tail with light brown and black bands; large eyes and
ears;
claws partly retractable; area between footpads is
furred.
North America. Ringtail Cats and relatives.
.................................................................... Genus Bassariscus
23c. Tail is long, often with faded rings, often carried upright;
gray-brownish coat, often uneven in length; snout is long
and pointed; has white spots on face, varied among
species.
Americas. Coati.......................................... Genus Nasua
23d. Tail fairly thick; body somewhat stocky; face marked with
black "mask" across eyes; found near water. Raccoons.
Genus Procyon.......................................................... Procyon lotor
24a. Bodies are slender and long, covered in fur in shades of
brown;
small external ears are present; front flippers are
long, with small claws; hind flippers are large and can be
used for support on land; tail small. Sea Lions and
Fur
Seals................................................................. Family Otariidae
24b. Bodies are slender and long, with stiff, short fur; no external
ears; front flippers are somewhat short, with distinct claws;
hind flippers large but cannot support body on land;
tail
short and stubby.
Seals......................................... Family Phocidae
24c. Bodies are huge and stocky, with little hair; face is broad
and round, with large tusks and hairy muzzle; no external
ears; large flippers; back flippers can support weight on
land. Walruses.
Family Odobenidae,
Genus Odobenus.
................................................................. Odobenus rosmarus
25a. Upper lip with shallow notch; tail is deeply notched; flippers
lack nails. Dugongs. Family
Dugonidae, Genus Dugong.
............................................................................ Dugong dugon
25b. Upper lip with deep notch; tail without notch; flippers have
visible but rudimentary nails. Manatees. Family Trichechidae.
.........................................................................
Genus Trichecus
26a. Ears are quite large. African Elephants. Genus Loxodonta.
....................................................................
Loxodonta africana
26b. Ears are small. Asian Elephants. Genus Elephas.
....................................................................... Elephas maximus
27a. Skull is thick; body is usually stocky; covered with hair,
which is often short, but usually with longer mane and
forelock on head;
long, thin limbs with single hoof.
Includes horses, zebras, and relatives. Family Equidae.
............................................................................... Genus Equus
27b. Head is large and slung low near ground, with 1 or 2
cone-shaped horns on the midline; body is large, grayish
or brownish; legs are thick and somewhat short.
Rhinoceros.................................................. Family Rhinocerotidae
27c. Head has fleshy proboscis formed from snout and upper
lip; eyes are small;
ears are oval and erect; moderate in
size, usually dark brown or gray, with relatively narrow
shoulders but rounded midsection; tail is short; body has
scattered bristly hairs; may have short mane.
Tapirs.
Family Tapiridae..................................................... Genus Tapirus
28a. Large to very large; head is long and narrow, with short
knobby horns, thin lips, and long tongues.
Family Giraffidae............................................................................ 29
28b. Middle toes modified as hooves, with outer toes quite small;
legs are slender; usually brown or gray; young usually
spotted;
males usually with bony antlers, seasonal in
temperate climates.
Family Cervidae......................................... 30
28c. Toes as in 28b; males and often females have horns, short
or long but not branched. Family Bovidae................................... 31
28d. Moderate size; body is stocky, brown above and white below;
head and neck marked with white and black; antlers in both
males and females with two branches, shorter branch
directed
forward.
Western North America. Pronghorn Antelope.
Family Antilocapridae,
Genus Antilocapra.
............................................................... Antilocapra americana
28e. Moderate in size; body is stocky, usually rounded, and has
little hair;
eyes are usually small and located high on skull;
ears usually small and somewhat pointed; skull is often long
and somewhat flattened; snout is commonly mobile, with
forward-facing nostrils in a disk-like nose. Pigs and
Hogs.
.............................................................................. Family Suidae
28f. Face is pig-like; body covered with coarse fur, gray or brown
with markings of white or yellow. Americas.
Peccaries.
.................................................................. Family Tayassuidae
28g. Often quite large; head is very large, with high-set eyes
and a large, squarish mouth with tusk-like front teeth; skin
is almost without hair; legs are short; tail is short, with tuft.
Hippopotamus.......................................... Family Hippopotamidae
28h. Somewhat large; head is small, with deep cleft in upper lip;
neck and are long and slender; body is hairy, with length
of hair varying;
may have one or two humps on back; toes
are spread and often wide at base. Camels, Llamas, and
relatives................................................................. Family Camelidae
28i. Deer-like but small, without antlers or horns; back is brown,
with white spots or stripes; belly is white; body somewhat
shortened;
muzzles lack hair. Southeast Asia and Africa.
Mouse Deer,
Chevrotains................................... Family Tragulidae
28j. Somewhat deer-like but small and without antlers; back
higher at rear than shoulders; dark brown, usually with
small light spots;
male canine teeth often visible when
mouth is closed; produce thick oily substance.
Musk Deer. Family Moschidae.......................... Genus Moschus
29a. Neck is somewhat long; body is dark brown, with whitish
stripes along hindquarters and legs; ankles are white;
cheeks, throat, and chest are whitish to tan. Okapis.
Genus Okapia...................................................... Okapia johnstoni
29b. Neck is very long; body is yellowish with black ringed spots.
Giraffes. Genus Giraffa............................... Giraffa camelopardus
NOTE: Only a few Cervidae Genera Included here.
30a. Quite large; antlers are broad and curved upward; dark brown;
often have "beard." Moose. Genus Alces................... Alces alces
30b. Back is brownish-gray, often distinctly reddish; white
markings on face behind nose and around eyes, in ears,
on chin and throat, on belly and underside of tail.
Whitetail Deer.
Genus Odocoileus....... Odocoileus virginianus
30c. Moderate to large; brown to olive, often with white belly,
backside and legs; coat is dense and wooly; feet are
broad and flat.
Reindeer, Caribou. Genus Rangifer.
....................................................................... Rangifer tarandus
31a. Horns with multiple knobs, curving out then up; moderate
to light brown, lighter underneath; ear tips black.
Impala.
Subfamily Aepycerotinae............................... Genus Aepyceros
31b. Moderate size; horns somewhat curved, ringed or not;
muzzles somewhat cow-like. Wildebeests, Gnus,
Topis.
............................................................ Subfamily Alcelaphinae
31c. Small to moderate size; usually with slender legs and
necks.
Includes Gazelles, Springboks, and Dik-diks.
............................................................... Subfamily Antilopinae
31d. Moderate to large; often with stripes
or other markings.
Includes Roan and Sable Antelopes and Oryx.
.......................................................... Subfamily Hippotraginae
31e. Neck and body long, legs are short; have mane; horns
curve forward. Waterbucks........................ Subfamily Reduncinae
31f. Small to large; usually wooly or hairy; horns vary from
absent to curved around head. Includes Sheep,
Goats, and Musk
Ox......................................... Subfamily Caprinae
31g. Usually large; snout usually wide at nostrils; horns usually
fairly simple up-curves. Includes Cows, Bison, Kudu,
Eland, and
Buffaloes.......................................... Subfamily Bovinae
32a. Second digit of hind foot often modified as grooming claw;
snout with toughened skin on nose; lower front teeth
usually form "toothcomb"; mostly tree-living. Old World only.
Includes more "primitive" primates.
Suborder Strepsirhini.................................................................... 33
32b. Hind foot, nose and teeth not as in 32a; more "advanced."
Suborder Haplorhini...................................................................... 34
33a. Body and limbs are slender; tail long and heavily furred;
fur is soft and wooly, may be bright or contrastingly marked;
ears at least partly furred, with tufts on tip; snout usually
somewhat long. Madagascar. Lemurs............... Family Lemuridae
33b. Tail is long; hind limbs longer than front limbs; hind feet
large but narrow; hands long and strong; snout usually
not as long as in 33a; ears small; have fold of skin from
arms to chest.
Madagascar. Includes Indrids, Avahis,
Sifikas,
Indris.............................................................
Family Indridae
33c. Small; tail is long and bushy; fur is long, wooly, dark
brown;
hands with very long fingers, the third especially
so;
ears not furred and quite mobile; eyes large,
yellow-brown;
no toothcomb; front teeth quite large.
Aye-Ayes.
Family Daubentoniidae, Genus Daubentonia
............................................. Daubentonia madagascariensis
33d. Small and light; tail is long; fur is soft and wooly, darker
on back, gray or brown; hind limbs longer than front limbs;
hands are well-developed, with disk-pads on fingertips;
can leap long
distances. Africa. Galagos, Bushbabies.
.................................................................. Family Galagonidae
33e. Small but somewhat stout; tail is very short or absent;
eyes are large;
usually move slowly; do not leap.
Africa and Asia.
Lorises........................................... Family Loridae
34a. Small; tail is naked except for a few hairs on end; fur is
silky, brownish, usually darker on back; hind limbs longer
than forelimbs; digits are long, with soft pads; head is
round, eyes are large; neck is quite short. Southeast
Asian islands.
Tarsiers.......................................... Family Tarsiidae
34b. Small to moderate size; tail is long and furred, often
grasping; brown, gray, or reddish, some with strong
markings; limbs are long; nails are curved, not claws;
heads are rounded; nostrils separated by pad and
face slightly to the sides. Americas. Include Capuchin,
Howler, Wooly, Squirrel, and Night
Monkeys........ Family Cebidae
34c. Moderate to large, often stocky; tail of varying length,
never grasping;
gray or brown, sometimes with bright
markings, including bare patches on rump; hind limbs
usually longer than front limbs;
nails are flat; palms and
soles lack hair. Old World only.
Include Macaque, Rhesus,
Colobus, and Proboscis Monkeys, Baboons, Mandrills,
Langurs, and
Mangabeys........................... Family Cercopithedae
34d. Small, sometimes tiny; tail of moderate length, not grasping;
fur is silky, often brightly colored; usually with tuft on head;
face barely furred or naked; hands and feet are squirrel-like,
with long palms and short digits, and with sharp claws.
Central and South America. Marmosets and
Tamarins.
.................................................................. Family Callitrichidae
34e. Moderate size; no tail; usually black, gray, or brownish,
commonly with white markings on face, hands, and feet;
front limbs much longer than hind limbs; hands with deep
cleft between thumb and first finger.
Southeast Asia.
Gibbons and Siamangs.
Family Hylobatidae............................................
Genus Hylobates
34f. Large and usually stocky; no tail; black, gray, brown/reddish
or essentially hairless; forearms are well-developed; arms
are usually longer than legs; stance is upright or close to it;
face is expressive, usually with prominent jaw; nostrils face
forward and downward; vocalization is complex; make and
use nests of various sorts; usually produce single young,
with long period of parental care. Family Hominidae................ 35
35a. Relatively smaller; black or dark brown hair; skin darkens
with age; ears are large. West and Central Africa.
Chimpanzees. Genus Pan....................................
Pan troglodytes
35b. Large but with slender arms and legs; reddish, with thin hair;
arms much longer and stronger than legs; snout bulges
slightly; forehead fairly tall; adult males with cheek pads.
Sumatra and Borneo.
Orangutans.
Genus Pongo..................................................... Pongo pygmaeus
35c. Large and heavily built; dark, with hair everywhere but face
and pads of hands and feet; arms longer than legs and
very powerful; heavy brow ridge; back of skull extends
over very muscular neck.
Africa. Gorillas.
Genus Gorilla.............................................................. Gorilla gorilla
35d. Moderate to large; mostly hairless or sparsely haired, except
for crown;
legs somewhat longer than arms; walks on legs;
poor climbers.
Humans. Genus Homo................. Homo sapiens
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