Ungulates, primates and livestock

Primates, or monkeys, are the most highly organised order of mammals; there are about 500 species, most in warm forests. Their fingers are long and the thumb is opposed to the others, so they grip branches and hold small things. The fingers have flat nails, not claws; the face, palms and soles are hairless, and the palm is a sense organ. The eyes face forward, so both eyes look together and judge an object’s size, distance and colour well – important for leaping between branches. The brain is large with many cortex folds, and behaviour is complex; they live in troops. New World monkeys of tropical America (spider monkey) hang by the tail; Old World monkeys of Africa and South Asia have narrow nostrils and a tail unsuited for hanging. The great apes – gorilla, chimpanzee (Africa), orangutan (Sumatra, Borneo) – are the largest and have no tail. Their brains are developed, they have strong memory, chimpanzees use simple tools (a twig to extract insects) and show feelings by facial expression. Mammals matter greatly. The dung of herbivores feeds dung beetles, worms, fungi and bacteria and enriches the soil; squirrels, mice and wild boars spread seeds; moles and ground squirrels loosen soil; bats and hedgehogs destroy pest insects; predators eat sick animals and act as natural sanitary workers. People get fur, meat, milk and leather from mammals. Mice, rats and ground squirrels eat produce and spread disease, and predators can pass on worms. Reserves protect rare animals and they are put in the Red Book; Uzbekistan’s Red Book lists over twenty mammal species. Safety: at a zoo do not feed or go near monkeys (they can bite or pass on disease); do not keep wild animals at home.