1. Primate Evolution 3 November, 2009

2. Time, time, time…. Earth’s origin Origin of life

3. Themes Bush analogy (vs. ladder) “Extinction is the rule” Incompleteness of the fossil record “Once we were not alone” The nature of the evidence Fossils Fossils Molecular- protein/DNA Molecular- protein/DNA

4. Class- Mammalia Derived from a branch of the reptiles- the therapsids ~200 M ybp

5. Mammals Hair, mammary glands Hair, mammary glands Anatomy Anatomy One jaw bone 3 middle ear bones Specific arterial structures structures Initially small, rat-like, nocturnal insect eaters Initially small, rat-like, nocturnal insect eaters

7. Earliest Mammals Modern descendents- platypus (of Australia) & echidna (of New Zealand)

8. “Advanced” Mammals- the “Placentals” ~ 100 M ybp- “Age of the Dinosaurs” (Cretaceous era) (older fossil?- ~ 130 M ybp, 1 meter in length) “Live bearing mammals” Internal development Internal development Some form of connection between mother and fetus= “placenta” Some form of connection between mother and fetus= “placenta”

9. Two parallel lineages: Marsupial mammals- kangaroo, wallaby, opossum Eutheria- live bearing, placental mammals

10. The reality of the situation at ~ 65 M ybp Mammals (monotremes, marsupials & eutherians) were all a very small part of animal diversity Eutherians represented by a very small number of small, nocturnal, shrew-like animals The “K/T Boundary” (cretaceous/tertiary)

11. The reality of the situation at ~ 65 M ybp The “K/T Boundary” (cretaceous/tertiary)- one of many historical “Mass extinctions” (many living groups, including the dinosaurs)

12. ~60 M ybp Mammalian “explosion” of diversity Including- Primates (taxonomic Order) Tree-dwelling Tree-dwelling Omnivorous Omnivorous Branchiate- swing by arms Branchiate- swing by arms Dexterous hands Dexterous hands Claws replaced by nails Claws replaced by nails Opposable thumb Opposable thumb Forward-facing eyes, binocular vision Forward-facing eyes, binocular vision Parental care Parental care

13. ~ 58 M ybp Ancestral Primate “Wet-nosed” primates Mostly nocturnal Tree-dwelling Lemurs “Dry-nosed” primates Mostly diurnal Specialized hands and feet for grasping Tarsiers + Monkeys & Apes (a.k.a. “Simians”) First- cat-sized and arboreal

14. ~ 40 M ybp Ancestral Simian New-World Monkeys N/S America Long prehensile tail Flat nose Tree-dwelling Mostly nocturnal Capuchin, Marmosets, Howler monkey Old-World Monkeys + others Africa & Asia Simple, no tail Narrow nose Tree-dwelling Mostly diurnal Flat fingernails Baboon, Macaque, Great Apes Atlantic Ocean

15. ~ 25 M ybp Ancestral Old World Monkeys, et al Old-World Monkeys Baboon, Macaque, Proboscis Monkey (Apes) “Hominoids” Mostly arboreal Africa, Asia Other anatomical features Gibbon, Great Apes

16. ~ 18 M ybp Ancestral Hominoids “Lesser Apes” Tree-dwelling Strong brachiating Gibbons The “Hominidae” Humans +Great Apes

17. The “Hominidae”

18. Orangutans Asia ~ 14 M ybp Sivapithecus (Ramipethecus)- fossil ~ 14 M ybp Initially thought to be an early “homininae” The “Homininae” Evolved in Africa: Gorilla, Chimp, Pygmy Chimp, Human

19. The “Homininae” ~ 7 M ybp Gorillas 2 (4?) species Knuckle-walk Intelligent Western & Eastern species (w/ subspecies) The “Hominini” Humans, Chimpanzee, Pygmy Chimpanzee (Bonobo)

20. The “Hominini” 6- 7 M ybp Molecular evidence- “Molecular clocks” Antibody specificity DNA hybridization Chimpanzee Larger, stockier More aggressive Male-dominated social groups Bonobo Gracile More cooperative, more sexual Female-dominated Social groups The “Hominids” Humans + fossils leading to modern humans

21. The “Hominids” Bipedal Large brain Small canine teeth teethLater: Tool production Tool production Language Language Art Art

22. Importance of A. afarensis & “Once we were not alone” “Robust” lineages “Gracile” lineages B G G A F D

23. Chimp Gorilla Two major historical mass migrations; including the recent “out of Africa”

24. Homo sapiens as the “wanderer” The “out of Africa” theory Years before present (byp)