3.6. The Flight of the Holy Family to Egypt and the Flight of the Askania-Yula Family to Latinia-Ruthenia According to the Gospels, fleeing from King Herod, the Mother of God with Jesus and his father Joseph flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. “The angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph and says: Arise, take

half-monkeys

Semi-monkeys Semi-monkeys or lemurs in the broad sense (Prosimiae) are a detachment of mammals characterized by the following features: the whole body is covered with thick and long hair, except for the end of the nose; large orbital cavities are surrounded by a complete bony ring, communicating

LORI Road "with a heavy profile". Alaverdi Early in the morning, still in the predawn twilight, the train departs from Leninakan. Late to fill up the night, and rarely any of the passengers will refuse here the pleasure of looking out the window. The ribbon of the Shirak Canal disappears in the semi-darkness.

About 200 species of modern primates are known. They are combined into 57 genera, 12 families and 2 suborders - semi-monkeys (Prosimii) and monkeys (Anthropoidea). According to the most common classification at present, the order of primates is usually divided into two suborders.

1. Lower primates, or semi-monkeys - this includes tupai, lemurs, tarsiers, etc.

2. Monkeys, or higher humanoids.

Suborder Prosimii (Prosimii)

The semi-monkey suborder unites 6 families, 21 genera and about 50 species with large quantity subspecies. This suborder includes the most primitive representatives of primates - tupai, lemurs, tarsiers. These are mostly small animals, but there are also medium-sized ones (about the size of a dog). Sometimes the blunt and lemurs are combined into a group of strepsirin primates, which have comma-shaped nostrils that open to the bare part of the tip of the nose. The upper lip of these primates is smooth, motionless and without hair. In contrast, tarsiers and monkeys constitute a group of haplorin primates, with more rounded nostrils, fringed with the walls of the nose and opening onto a mobile, with a developed muscular layer, and hairy upper lip.

All prosimians have tails, often fluffy. The facial part of the skull is elongated, the sense of smell is well developed, there are tactile hairs on the face - vibrissae. The lower teeth grow forward to form a "comb" for grooming or scraping food. All semi-monkeys mark the territory in which they live with the odorous secretion of specific skin glands - the sternum, abdominal, throat, etc., as well as urine. The brain of the semi-monkeys is small, without convolutions. Almost all of them are nocturnal, except for some species of ancient lemurs. They live in groups or alone, give birth to one or two cubs. All but tarsiers have immobile facial musculature, so they do not have the same facial expressions as monkeys.

Family Dull-shaped: common tupaya, pygmy tupaya, tupaya tana, Indian or elliot tupaya, Philippine tupaya or urogale, northern or mouse tupaya, feather-tailed tupaya.

Tupai are a transitional form between insectivorous mammals and primates. According to the structure of the skull, forelimbs, teeth, according to biochemical indicators, they are closer to primates. In Malay, tupaya means “squirrel”, they are small, live in trees and look like squirrels with a fluffy tail.

Family Lemuriformes: feline or ring-tailed lemur, black lemur, mongoose lemur, collared lemur or vari lemur, gray hapalemur, graceful lemur, dwarf lemur, fat-tailed lemur, Miller's lemur or mouse microcebus, squirrel lemur or dwarf plywood.

Fig.1. Family of ring-tailed lemurs (lat. Lemur catta)

Lemurs are the most typical representatives of prosimians; common in Madagascar. Ancient lemurs live in large groups. There are lemurs with bright colors; for example, the ring-tailed lemur has alternating white and black rings on its tail and white circles around the eyes. This lemur got its name for sounds similar to purring. ring-tailed lemur- diurnal, feeds on fruits, flowers, leaves. In addition to large lemurs, there are small dwarf species, for example, a mouse lemur, the size of a fist, with huge eyes, it weighs 40-60 grams. They are nocturnal insect hunters.

The Tarsi family: bankan or western tarsier, eastern tarsier or brownie maquis, Philippine tarsier or sirihta.

Tarsier - are closest to the monkeys of all prosimians living in Indonesia and the Philippines. They are the size of a rat, have huge eyes that glow in the dark, for which they are called "ghost tarsiers". A bare tail with a tassel serves as a balancer when jumping. Tarsiers have facial muscles and can make faces like monkeys. The facial region is not elongated, as in other prosimians, but shortened, which means that the sense of smell is underdeveloped. The brain is relatively large, the hind limbs are longer than the front ones, and the calcaneus is also elongated, for which they are called tarsiers.

Fig.2. Philippine tarsier (lat. Tarsius syrichta)

It is believed that the ancestors of primates were primitive insectivorous mammals, very similar to modern tupai. Their remains were found in the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Mongolia. These ancient primates, in all likelihood, settled from Asia to other parts of the Old World and North America, where they gave the basis for the development of lemurs and tarsiers. The original forms of monkeys of the New and Old Worlds probably originated from primitive tarsiers (some authors consider ancient lemurs to be the ancestors of monkeys). American primates arose independently of Old World monkeys. Their ancestors penetrated from North America to South America, where they developed and specialized, adapting to the conditions of exclusively arboreal life.

Suborder apes or higher humanoids (Anthropoidea)

In suborder higher primates includes broad-nosed or American monkeys, and narrow-nosed or African-Asian monkeys. This division is based on differences in the structure of their noses. In most New World monkeys, the cartilaginous nasal septum is wide and the nostrils are widely separated and point outwards. Old World monkeys have a narrower nasal septum and, like humans, have downward-facing nostrils. But it is more correct to speak about the severity of this symptom, since the thickness of the nasal septum and the position of the nostrils in different forms broad-nosed and narrow-nosed monkeys can vary. All primates have flat fingernails (marmosets have claw-like nails); the eyes are turned forward, and the orbit is completely separated from the temporal fossa by a bony septum; the brain, with the exception of marmosets, is rich in furrows and convolutions; the upper incisors are not separated by a gap. Primates are characterized by a reduction in the olfactory apparatus and special tactile organs on the face, where only three pairs of vibrissae are preserved - supraorbital, maxillary and chin. With the reduction of vibrissae, the progressive development of tactile skin ridges on the palmar and plantar surfaces is associated. Only in oedipal marmosets, and to a greater extent in nocturnal monkeys, on the palms and soles, there are still areas of skin without combs. In other lower and higher primates, the palmar and plantar surfaces are completely covered with skin scallops, as in humans. There are 3 superfamilies in the suborder: Ceboidea, Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea.

Broad-nosed or New World monkeys (Platyrrhina)

Broad-nosed monkeys live in South America and they are called New World monkeys

Broad-nosed monkeys are divided into three families - small marmosets, callimico and large capuchin monkeys. All marmosets and callimikos have primitive structural features - a hairy auricle, a relatively simple brain, almost without convolutions, up to three cubs are born.

Family Marigolds: common marmoset or wistiti, pygmy marmoset, common or black tamarin, crested or oedipal tamarin, piebald tamarin.

Marmosets are the smallest of all primates; in addition to the actual marmosets, they include dwarf marmosets and tamarins. All are characterized by a paired family lifestyle, only one adult female breeds in the group, the male takes care of the offspring.

Callimico isolated from the marmoset family relatively recently. In terms of the structure of the teeth, the shape of the skull, and biochemical parameters, they are similar to capuchin monkeys and occupy an intermediate position between them and marmosets.

Capuchin family: common or white-breasted capuchin, crybaby or whining capuchin, white-fronted capuchin, favi or brown capuchin, squirrel saimiri, three-striped durukuli, white-headed saki, monk saki.

Capuchin monkeys have a grasping tail, the lower end of the tail is devoid of hair, it has the same dermatoglyphic patterns as on the palms. Such a tail acts as an additional limb. The first finger of the hand is underdeveloped, sometimes absent, but on the foot it is well developed and opposed to the rest. The brain is quite developed, these monkeys have complex behavior, they easily learn complex skills. They live in large groups. All of them are arboreal, diurnal, except for one genus of night monkeys. Like prosimians, all broad-nosed monkeys have skin glands, with the secret of which they mark their territory. Broad-nosed monkeys often form communities consisting of several species for more successful defense against predators. They have well-developed acoustic (voice) communication and rich facial expressions.

Narrow-nosed or Old World monkeys (Catarhina)

The narrow-nosed monkeys live in Africa and Asia and are called Old World monkeys.

Family Marmosetiformes: true monkey, green monkey, pygmy monkey or talapoin, red monkeys or hussar monkeys, cynomolgus monkey or crab-eating monkey, rhesus or bunder monkey, Japanese monkey, Ceylon or Chinese monkey.

Marmoset monkeys. They are small or medium in size, their forelimbs are equal to the hind limbs or slightly shorter. The first finger of the hand and foot is well opposed to the rest. Wool covers the entire body, except for the face, usually the color is bright. There are ischial calluses and cheek pouches. Cheek pouches are special pockets - folds of the mucous membrane in the oral cavity on both cheeks, where monkeys stuff food in reserve. In addition to ischial calluses, they have the so-called “genital skin” - areas of skin that swell and turn red during ovulation, this can serve as a signal for the male that the female is ready for mating. Ischial calluses, unlike genital skin, are devoid of blood vessels. They are comfortable when sleeping or sitting on the ground. All monkeys move along the ground and tree branches, among them there are terrestrial forms (baboons, geladas), arboreal-terrestrial (rhesus macaques, and lapunders) and purely arboreal (all thin-bodied monkeys, langurs, etc.). They are plantigrade, relying on the foot and hands when walking. The tail is never prehensile. In some species, sexual dimorphism is well developed, that is, males are larger than females. All of them are gregarious, live in forests, savannahs, on rocks. Monkey-like monkeys include the genera of monkeys, hussars, baboons, mandrills, geladas, mangobays, macaques and the subfamily of thin-bodied monkeys, the genera of colobus, Gverets, langurs. A very beautiful monkey - hanuman langur is considered a sacred monkey in India, Sri Lanka and other countries. According to the Ramayana epic, the langur Hanuman saved the pious Rama and his wife. In Egypt, the hamadryas baboon, considered the personification of the god Ra, the god of health, fertility, generosity and writing, belongs to the sacred animals.

The Gibbon family. These are small, elegantly built monkeys, their forelimbs are longer than their hind ones, their hair is thick, their palms, soles, ears and face are bare. There are small ischial calluses. The fingers are long, the first finger is well opposed to the others. Distributed in India, Indochina, Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, the Malay Peninsula. They are all arboreal, inhabitants rainforest with a characteristic way of movement - brachiation: alternately intercepting the branches of trees with their hands, they fly from tree to tree at a distance of up to fifteen meters. They can walk on the ground on two legs, balancing with their hands. Some gibbons have sexual dimorphism in hair color, for example, males of the same color gibbon are black, and females are light beige. Another feature of the gibbon is family life, while each family has its own territory and overlaps with other families. This behavior is called "singing" or "choirs" of gibbons; the initiator of singing is, as a rule, the male, then the whole family is connected to it. The articulated gibbons - siamangs - even have special throat vocal sacs - resonators for amplifying sound.

Pongid family unites Asian orangutans and African great apes - chimpanzees and gorillas. I distinguish them all large sizes body, the gorilla weighs up to 200 kilograms, height up to two meters. They have a relatively short torso and long limbs, no tail, shortened sacral spine, barrel-shaped rib cage, broad shoulders. All are characterized by semi-straight movement along the branches and the ground, relying on the knuckles of the forelimbs. They have large and complex brains, about six times larger than those of lower narrow-nosed monkeys, such as macaques. The mass of the brain of a gorilla is 420 grams, it has many convolutions. The frontal lobe is larger than in the lower apes. Like humans, great apes have well-developed mimic muscles, lips are very mobile. Chimpanzees have ischial calluses; gorillas and orangutans are rare. The hair on the back and chest is sparse, tufts of tactile facial hair (vibrissae) are absent. Immunological and biochemical parameters in chimpanzees, gorillas and humans are very similar in terms of blood proteins. The gestation period is like that of a person (9 months), the cub develops very slowly, up to seven years. All of them have high intelligence, are able to use objects as tools in nature and in captivity.

orangutans common in Sumatra and Kalimantan, they are distinguished by a massive physique (male height 150 centimeters, weight 100–200 kilograms). Females are significantly smaller than males. Kalimantan orangutans have developed buccal growths of connective tissue and fat. The hind limbs are short, the forelimbs are long, the fingers are long, look like hooks, the first finger is shortened at the hand, and there are large guttural bags on the neck. The skull of orangutans is long, elongated, the facial section is concave. The skull has sagittal and occipital crests. The lower jaw is massive, the teeth are large, with a strong wrinkling of the crowns, the fangs rarely protrude beyond the dentition. The volume of the brain is 300-500 cm 3.

There are three subspecies: mountain, coastal and flat. The lowland gorilla is common in Western equatorial Africa(Cameroon, Gabon), in the valley of the Congo River and near Lake Tanganyika. The height of the male is about two meters, weight is up to 200 kilograms, a massive neck and shoulders, a skull with a low forehead and a powerful supraocular crest. Males also have sagittal and occipital crests. Females are smaller than males. The face protrudes forward, the lower jaw is very massive.

Fig.4. Gorilla

Chimpanzee. It lives in tropical Africa, in the basins of the Congo and Niger rivers. Chimpanzees are smaller and thinner in build, 150 centimeters tall, weighing 50 kilograms, sexual dimorphism in body size is less pronounced than in gorillas and orangutans. The supraorbital ridge is also less developed, and the occipital ridge is absent. The forehead is more straight, the cerebral skull is rounder, the fangs are less developed, the wrinkling of the crowns is also weaker than in the orangutan. The pygmy chimpanzee or bonob is a living model of early hominins, distinguished by its small stature and grace. Lives in Zaire.

Hominid family. Body height 140-190 centimeters. Females are smaller than males by 10-12 centimeters. The vertical position of the body and movement only on the lower extremities are characteristic. The first toe loses mobility and is not opposed to the rest. The length of the lower limbs significantly exceeds the length of the upper ones. Of great importance is the development of the first finger of the hand. The head is round, characterized by a strongly developed medulla and a weakly protruding facial part. The facial section is located not in front of the brain, but under it. The large occipital foramen is directed downward. The teeth are poorly developed, almost indistinguishable from the incisors. The molars have flattened tubercles on the chewing surface, four tubercles on the upper teeth, and 5 on the lower ones. The spinal column is S-shapedly curved, which is associated with the vertical position of the body. The sacral and caudal vertebrae fuse into compound bones - the sacrum and coccyx. Characterized by a strong development of the femur. The brain is unusually developed, especially the large hemispheres with furrows and convolutions. Pregnancy is 280 days, one child is born, less often two or three. Humans are characterized by the longest periods of child development and learning among mammals.

The first hominids appeared approximately 4-3.75 million years ago in Tanzania and Ethiopia. In the time interval of 2.5-2 million years ago, the adaptation of African hominids took place, and by the end of this time there were three or even more hominids. Around 1.75 million years ago, Homo habilis disappears and Homo erectus appears in its place. It spread widely in Africa almost 16 million years ago. About 1 million years ago, representatives of this species met in East and Southeast Asia and existed until about 0.3 million years ago.

From the archaic form of Homo erectus there is a continuous line of development to modern form Homo sapiens. On this band was a Neanderthal. But with the transition to modern Homo sapiens, the massiveness of the skeleton, face and dental system inherent in Neanderthals is lost.

At the same time, anthropologists prefer to classify only humans and some of their extinct ancestors (Australopithecus, Ardipithecus, etc.) as hominids. There were also transitional fossil forms between them and other primates (ouranopithecus, nakalipithecus, etc.), systematic position which are not defined. Hominids in anthropology are distinguished on the basis of two simple criteria: bipedalism and reduction of the dentition (reduction of canines, parabolic shape of the dental arch, shortened jaws). They also differ from other primates in more big brain(from 600 to 2000 ml).