Question

You are working in a Natural History Museum and an intern has mixed up the labels from three skulls: a lemur, a New World Monkey, and an Old World Monkey. What single feature would you use to determine which skull belongs to which label? (1 point each; 3 points total)

a) The lemur has this unique feature that distinguishes it from both the NWM and OWM::
b) The NWM has this feature which distinguishes it from the OWM:
c) The OWM has this feature which distinguishes it from the NWM

Answer 1

The lemur can be distinguished from the New World Monkey and the Old World Monkey by the presence of a postorbital bar. The New World Monkey can be distinguished by their prehensile tail, while the Old World Monkey has an ischial callosity on their buttocks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The lemur can be distinguished from both the New World Monkey and the Old World Monkey by the presence of a postorbital bar, which is a bone that runs around the eye socket. This feature is unique to lemurs and is not found in either monkey group. On the other hand, the New World Monkey can be distinguished from the Old World Monkey by the presence of a prehensile tail, which allows them to grasp and hold onto objects. The Old World Monkey, in contrast, lacks a prehensile tail and has a ischial callosity, which is a toughened patch of skin on their buttocks.