1. PRIMATE EVOLUTION
DC Biology
Bill Palmer

2. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
PRIMATE-Group of mammals that includes lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans
Characteristics
Round shape of head
Flattened face
Large brain
Flexible shoulder and hip joints
Finger and toe nails
Opposable thumb
Excellent vision w/depth of field and color

3. Primates

4. Primates

5. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Two major Groups
Prosimian
Anthropoids

6. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Prosimian oldest group
Lemurs
Tarsiers
Aye-aye
Found in Africa and Asia
50-60 myo

7. Prosimians
LEMUR
TARSIER
AYE-AYE

8. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Anthropoids newest group
Mandrill
Gibbon
Larger than Prosimians
More or less upright
New world monkeys have prehensile tail

9. Anthropoids
GIBBON
MANDRILL

10. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
New world monkeys have prehensile tail
Use like a fifth limb
Spider monkey
Howler monkey
Marmoset
Capuchin (Organ Grinder’s) Monkey

11. New world monkeys BLACK HOWLER MONKEY SPIDER MONKEY MARMOSET
CAPUCHIN MONKEY

12. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Old world monkeys have no tail
Generally larger
Colubus monkey
Guenons
Baboons
Macaques

13. Old world monkeys
GUENON
COLOBUS
BABOON
MACAQUE

14. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Hominoids are apes and humans
Gibbon
Orangutans
Chimpanzee
Gorillas
Most spend time on ground
May live in social groups (gorilla, chimp)
Long-term parental care
Evolved in Asia and Africa

15. Hominoids
ORANGUTAN
GIBBON
CHIMPANZEE
GORILLA

16. Primate Adaptation and Evolution
Humans
Common ancestor
Very large brain
Walk upright

17. Human Ancestry Hominids
5-8 mya common ancestor split into lines- one line lead to humans and one lead to apes
Human line became bipedal (walk on two legs) to find food
Bipedal leaves hands free to care for young, find food, defense, and leave arms free to use tools

18. Human Ancestry
Many hominid fossils have been found (mostly skulls because they are tough)

19. Human Ancestry Australopithecus africanus Found by Dart in 1924
Hole in skull showed it walked upright
1-2 myo

20. Australopithecus africanus

21. Human Ancestry “Lucy” a new species found in Africa in 1974 is 3.5 myo
Australopithecus afarensis
Named for Beatles Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Pelvis is bipedal
Small brain
Lived in small groups

22. Australopithecus afarensis

23. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Homo habilis (handy human)
Fossil found in 1964 by Leakeys in Africa
Skull humanlike
Large brain, human teeth
1.5-2 myo
Used stone tools

24. Homo habilis

25. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Homo erectus (upright human)
Humanlike face
Brow ridges, no chin
Large brain, human teeth
1.6 myo
Used stone tools, kill animals and break bone open
Cooked food
Used fire and lived in caves
Migrated from Africa to Asia

26. Homo erectus

27. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Homo sapiens (smart human)
Sudden appearance in Europe, Asia, Africa about ,000 ya
Modern head w/o brow ridges
Small teeth
Very large brain (equal to ours)

28. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Neanderthals best known of early Homo sapiens
Live from 35,000 to 100,000 ya
Europe, Asia, Middle east
Thick bones, large faces, prominent nose
Size of modern humans

29. Neanderthals

30. Neanderthals

31. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Neanderthals continued:
Lived in caves
Had art
Buried their dead (believed in afterlife)
Religious
Had language
Disappeared suddenly about 35-40,000 ya

32. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Neanderthals suddenly disappeared and were replaced by Cro-Magnon
35-40,000 ya
Cro-Magnon looked like modern humans
Art, religion, tool makers, much like modern humans

33. Cro-Magnon

34. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
What happened to Neanderthal?
Killed by Cro-Magnon
Out-competed by Cro-Magnon
Bred with Cro-Magnon
Unsolved Mystery

35. Human Ancestry The Emergence of Modern Humans
Humans have not changed much in last 200,000 y
Began in Africa, Europe, Asia
12,000 years ago migrated across land bridge to North America
In 500 years had populated most of North and South America

36. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
What is a primate?
List 5 characteristics of primates.
List 5 primates.
What is a prosimian?
List 2 prosimians.
What are three characteristics of anthropoids?

37. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
7. List two anthropoids.
8. What is the main difference between old world monkeys and new world monkeys?
9. List four new world monkeys.
10. List four old world monkeys
11. What are hominids?
12. List four characteristics of hominoids.

38. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
8. List four hominids.
9. When did the hominid line split into apes and humans?
10. What is Australopithecus africanus?
11. When and where was it found? By whom?
How old is the fossil?
12. What is Australopithecus afarensis?

39. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
13. How did it get the name “Lucy”?
How old is the fossil?
14. What is Homo habilis?
15. When and where was it found? By whom?
16. What is Homo erectus?

40. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
17. When did it live? What are its characteristics? How old is the fossil?
18. What is Homo sapiens?
19. When did it live? What are its characteristics? How old is the fossil?
20. What are Neanderthals?
21. When did it live? What are its characteristics? How old is the fossil?

41. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
22. When did it live? What are its characteristics? How old is the fossil?
23. What are Cro-Magnon?
24. When did it live? What are its characteristics? How old is the fossil?
25. What are three theories that may account for the disappearance of Neanderthals?

42. Primate Evolution-Wrap Up
26. How quickly did humans inhabit North and South America?