Anth 2 Flashcards
(147 cards)
Taxonomy
assign and organize organisms to categories based on their relatedness or resemblance
Homology
similarities used to assign organisms to the same taxon
Analogy
common traits due to similar environmental pressures
Convergent Evolution
Two different species evolve similar traits but did not come from a common ancestor. EX: bats and birds
Primate Family Tree
Prosimians/Anthropoids New World/Old World Monkeys
Apes
Primate Tendencies
- Grasping Ability 2. Reliance on Sight over Smell
- Reliance on Hand over Nose
- Brain Complexity
- Parental Investment
- Sociality
Prosimians
Our most distantly related primate. Relatively small with a small brain. Nocturnal. Solitary
Anthropoids
Diurnal. Gregarious and more social. A larger primate than prosimians.
New World Monkeys
Prehensile tail. Arboreal (tree-dwelling). Nasal Morphology. Mainly in South America
Old World Monkeys
Terrestrial. Greater degree of sexual dimorphism. Located in Africa and South Asia.
Ape Species
Gibbons, Orangutans, Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Bonobos
Sexual Dimorphism
In Old World monkeys, there is a notable physical difference between males and females. For Apes: (chimpanzees) females are 88% the size of males. There is less difference in New World monkeys.
Orangutans
-Diet: varied diet of fruit, insects, bark, leaves -Locomotion: more arboreal and climbs trees
-Social arrangements: Males forage alone, females and young stay together, also marked sexual dimorphism
Gorillas
-Diet: vegetation rich diet in bulk -Locomotion: terrestrial (do not spend time in trees)
-Social arrangement: groups of around 20, lives in Africa, marked sexual dimorphism
Chimpanzees
-Diet: prefers fruit, omnivorous -Locomotion: lighter weight so more arboreal
-Social arrangement: smaller degree of sexual dimorphism, communities of up to 50 chimps
Similarities (between humans and apes)
- Learning2. Tool Use
- Hunting
- Symbolic Commutation
Differences (between humans and apes)
- Share Food2. Plan, Carry out complex, multistage tasks
- Spoken Language4. Classify others as kin of various types and interact w them for life
Primate Tool Use
Termite fishing by Chimpanzees
Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees
Discovered that Chimps make tools, eat and hunt for meat, and have similar social behavior to humans. Completely transformed our understanding of chimps
Bonobos
-Diet: omnivorous, like chimps-Locomotion: arboreal-Social arrangement: the community is centered around females
Hominid
Refers to the taxonomic family that includes humans and the African apes and their immediate ancestors
Hominin
refers to the human line after its split from ancestral chimps
Hogopan
hypothetical last common ancestor. the split 6-8 mya into different ecological niches and their diets became specialized
Earliest Potential Hominins
Ardi: Most complete hominid specimen
Close to 4 feet tall, 120 pounds
4.4 mya