Chapter 4 Flashcards
What are Anthropoids?
The primate evolutionary grade that includes tarsier, monkeys, apes, and humans
Dentition
The sizes, shapes, and number of an animal’s teeth
Homology
Genetic inheritance resulting from common ancestry
Anthropomorphism
The attribution of human characteristics to non-human animals
Cranium
The bones of the head, excluding the jaw
Ecological niche
A species unique position within the ecosystem in which it exists, which by its way life
(e.g., What it eats and how it finds mates, raises its young, relates to companions, and protects itself from predators)
Hybridization
When members of two or more different species mate and produce visible offspring
Haporhines
The suborder of primates that includes tarsuers, monkeys, apes, and humans
Homoplasy
Convergent, or parallel, evolution, as when two species with very different evolutionary histories develop similar physical features as a result of adapting to a similar environment
Mandible
The lower Jae
Morphology
The physical shape and size of an organism or its body parts
Nocturnal
Active during the night
Prehensile
The ability to grasp with fingers, toes, or tail
Prosimian
The least complex evolutionary division of primates, which includes lemurs and lorises
Sexual Dimorphism
Observable phenotypic differences between males and females of the same species
Stereoscopic Vision
A form of vision in which the visual field of each eye of a two-eyed (binocular) animal overlaps with the other, producing depth perception
Strepsirrhines
A suborder of primates that includes lemurs and lorises
Taxon
Each species as well as each group of species related at any level in a taxonomic hierarchy
Taxonomy
A biological classification of various kinds of organisms
Postcranial Skeleton
The bones of the body, excluding those of the head
Generalized dental pattern
2-1-2-3 or 2-1-3-3
Knuckle-Walking
Quadrupedal Locomotion (walking on all fours) supporting yourself with knuckles
Quadrupedal
Walking on All fours
Vertical Clinging and Leaping
Longer legs than arms to leap
Brachiation
Suspending under the branch and swinging
Retention of the Collar bone
Greater Range of Movement in your front limbs
Large brain-to-body size ratio
Larger the brain compared to body size the more we rely on learned behaviors rather than instincts
Errect upper body
Enhanced balance thanks to our relatively straight spine
Allows usage of both hands
K-Selected
A lot of parental investment, but not a lot of offsprings
Aboreal Hypothesis
We spent a lot of time in trees when we were monkeys so we developed good eye sight
3D vision to judge distances and such
Visual-predation hypothesis
Collarbone and judgement through vision was developed through early primates watching out for predators
However earliest primates were insectivores and a lot of them today who still are inseectivores don’t have this development
Angiosperm (ecological) hypothesis
Developed vision to explore fruit colours and types, and developed collarbone to be able to reach for fruit
Socioecology
Studies the relationship between ecological factors and social behaviors (e.g social organization)
Nocturnal Primates
Tend to be small and live alone or in small groups at night
Aboreal
Lives in smaller groups and are generally smaller in body size, stays in trees
