© 1972 by The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
The Skin of Nonhuman Primates
Department of Cutaneous Biology, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center Beaver ton, Oregon 97005
SYNOPSIS What distinguishes man from all other primates is his archaic hair cover Nearly all the details that make his skin unique aie traceable to this single fact In vatious degrees,all nonhuman primates have a good pelage,which is characterized by some morphological and physiological similarities but often differs even between closely relatedspecies It can be thick or thin,short or long woolly or shaggy, dense oi sparse, and it assumes many varied colors All primates have dermitoglyphics on their faction surfaces they are also present on the volar surface of the tail of some New World monkeys ind on the knuckle pads of chimpanzees and gonllas The epidermis is uniformly thin and has little undersculpture Every species of primate has epideimal and dermal melinocytes which are often relatively distinct from all otheis Eccrine sweat glmds are found on the fnction surfaces of all species, but onlv the tiue piehensile tailed New World monkeys andOld World monkeys and apes have them also in the hairy skin Although chimpanzees and gorillas have more ercune than apocrine glands in their bodies, in neither do the sweat glands respond to heat stimulation as they do in man All primates havenumerous apocrine glands in the hany skin, but only man, the chimpanzee, and gorilla have an axillaiy organ The Oidei Primates is large and heteiogeneous most species have some common cutaneous featuies but the details in each are so distinct as to preclude generalizations