Ch. 16 Primate Evolution Unit 4

I. Characteristics of Primates A. Primate = a mammal; animal that produces milk for offspring – a placental mammal B. Major Features 1. Opposable Thumbs – grasp with hands 2. Binocular Vision – judge distances 3. Large Brain Volume – to body ratio 4. Flexible Arm Movement = rotation 5. Flexible joints = turn hand 6. Use feet to grasp objects

C. Primates are divided into 2 Families 1. Anthropoids = Human like primates includes: apes, humans, orangutans, old world monkey 2. Prosimians = primates with large eyes, are nocturnal (hunt for food at night) include lemurs, aye-ayes and tarsiers D. Primates that live in trees are called arboreal

E. Long muscular tail of some primates is called a prehensile tail. F. Human is the only mammal primate that is bipedal = walks upright on hind legs.

II. Classification of Man A. Binomial Nomenclature Kingdom = Animalia (Animal) Phylum = Cordata (Backbone present) Class = Mammalia (mammal – produces milk) Order = Primate Family = Anthropoid Genus = Hominoid Species = sapien [scientific name = Homo sapien]

III. First Hominoids A. Hominoid = no prehensile tail (cross between and ape and man) B. Believed to first evolve in Africa and Asia C. Early hominoid believed to be very hairy like an ape and slightly bipedal called Lucy D. Homo habilis = when early man made stone tools E. Homo erectus = when a true bipedal hominoid emerged, less hair; hunted for food, used fire, lived in caves.

F. Today man has evolved with a greater brain volume and is called Homo sapien. (sapien means wise) G. First Homo sapiens believed to appear in Europe and were called Neanderthals, lived during Ice Age; where religious and used spoken language – belief is Neanderthals died out. H. Rise of Cro-Magnons our true ancestors of modern man (toolmakers, artists, speech)