Primate Notes Chapter 16.1
Primate notes outline Primate: Humans: Features Examples: Opposable thumb Binocular vision Large brain Flexible joints Feet Fingernails
Primates Primates—Group of mammals that includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and humans. Most primates are arboreal, meaning they live in trees, and have several adaptations that help them survive there.
Characteristics of Primates All primates share 6 characteristics A. Opposable thumbs B.Vision C. Brain volume D. Arm movement E. Flexible joints G. Fingernails F. Feet
Characteristics of Primates Opposable thumbs—Thumb sticks out at 90o angle, allows better grasping and manipulating objects.
Characteristics of Primates Binocular vision—Both eyes on front of head, allows for depth perception and gauging distance.
Characteristics of Primates Large brain volume—Allows for advanced and complex behaviors
Characteristics of Primates Flexible shoulder, wrist, and elbow joints—allows for arm movements in many different directions
Characteristics of Primates Feet—Some primate feet can grasp objects
Characteristics of Primates Fingernails—all primates have fingernails instead of claws
Types of Primates Primate Ancestors Haplorhines Strepsirrhines Anthropoids Hominoids Hominids Old World monkeys Tarsiers New World monkeys African apes Lorises, Pottos and Galagos Gibbons Lemurs Orangutans Humans
Human evolution Differ from other primates because stand upright and are bipedal Larger brain= language, symbolic thought, artistic expression, etc. Homo habilis, Homo ergaster, etc. all went extinct, Homo neanderthalensis most recent Oldest Homo sapiens fossils found in Ethiopia Recent examples: lactose tolerance higher in societies where they herd milk producing animals (ex. Saudi arabia, Europe) due to different copies of genes
Baboons
Tarsier
Lemur
Aye-Aye
Gibbon
Orangutan
Gorilla
Chimpanzee