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A new evolutionary history of primates
ScienceDaily (Mar. 17, 2011) — A robust new phylogenetic tree resolves many long-standing issues in primate taxonomy. The genomes of living primates harbor remarkable differences in diversity and provide an intriguing context for interpreting human evolution. The phylogenetic analysis was conducted by international researchers to determine the origin, evolution, patterns of speciation, and unique features in genome divergence among primate lineages. This evolutionary history will be published on March 17 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics . The authors sequenced 54 gene regions from 186 species spanning the primate radiation. The analysis illustrates the importance of resolving complex, species-rich phylogenies using large-scale comparative genomic approach.
The orangutans are the two exclusively Asian species of extant great apes . Native to Indonesia and Malaysia , orangutans are currently found only in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra . Classified in the genus Pongo , orangutans were considered to be one species.
Orangutan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio , part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae . There are five species, which are some of the largest non- hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger. Previously, the closely related gelada (genus Theropithecus ) and the two species (mandrill and drill) of genus Mandrillus were grouped in the same genus, and these Old World monkeys are still often referred to as baboons in everyday speech. They range in size and weight depending on species. The Guinea baboon is 50 cm (20 inches) and weighs only 14 kg (30 lb) while the largest chacma baboon can be 120 cm (47 inches) and weigh 40 kg (90 lb). Taxonomy and phylogeny