biology

Paralouatta

Paralouatta is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Paralouatta rather than just read about it. In short: Paralouatta is a platyrrhine genus that currently contains two extinct species of small primates that lived on the island of Cuba. Description Paralouatta varonai was described from a nearly complete cranium from the late Quaternary in 1991.

Key takeaways

Paralouatta belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Paralouatta to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Paralouatta from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Paralouatta is a platyrrhine genus that currently contains two extinct species of small primates that lived on the island of Cuba.

Description Paralouatta varonai was described from a nearly complete cranium from the late Quaternary in 1991. This cranium and a number of isolated teeth and postcranial bones were found in the Cueva del Mono, a cave site in Pinar del Río Province. The initial description of the cranium included a proposal that Paralouatta varonai was a close Caribbean relative of the extant Alouatta (howler monkeys) of Central and South America, but this taxonomic placement was called into question with the analysis of the dental remains. Based on shared similarities with the three other Caribbean monkeys, Xenothrix mcgregori, Insulacebus toussaintiana, and Antillothrix bernensis, MacPhee and Horovitz have proposed that the Caribbean primates are part of a monophyletic radiation which entered the Caribbean at the Oligocene–Miocene boundary. Further research confirms this assessment and places these three species in the tribe Xenotrichini. However, more recent research restores its close relationship with Alouatta. The postcranial morphology of Paralouatta suggests that it was partly terrestrial, and a likely example of island gigantism. A second species of Paralouatta (P. marianae) has also been described from the Burdigalian (~18 million years old) Lagunitas Formation and is the largest Neotropic primate known of that epoch.

Paleobiology Paralouatta had an estimated body mass of 8.4 kg (19 lb). Analysis of postcranial morphology suggests that Paralouatta was at least somewhat semi-terrestrial, making it the most terrestrial platyrrhine genus known.

References

External links Mikko's Phylogeny archive

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paralouatta

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paralouatta claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Paralouatta before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Paralouatta ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Paralouatta

In research: Paralouatta appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Paralouatta in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Paralouatta is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Burdigalian life, Fossil taxa described in 1991, Fossils of Cuba, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Paralouatta outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Paralouatta in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Paralouatta means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Paralouatta out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paralouatta in simple terms?

Paralouatta is a platyrrhine genus that currently contains two extinct species of small primates that lived on the island of Cuba. Description Paralouatta varonai was described from a nearly complete cranium from the late Quaternary in 1991.

Why does Paralouatta matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Paralouatta?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Paralouatta.