Chapter 5: What It Means to Be a Primate Flashcards
mammalia
the class to which all mammals belong; this includes placental, egg-laying, and marsupial mammals
quadrupedal
walking on all four limbs
prehensile
grasping
opposable
the thumb or big toe can make contact with the tip of each of the other digits on the same hand/foot
stereoscopic vision
characterized by overlapping fields of view, allowing humans and other primates to see in three dimensions
postorbital bar
the bony ring that separates the eye orbit from the back of the skull; within Primates, this feature is found among the prosimians
nocturnal
active during the night
olfactory
relating to the sense of smell
neocortex
the outer part of the brain that is involved in higher functions such as reasoning, abstract thought, and language
diurnal
active during the day
trichromatic
a condition in which an animal possesses three light-sensitive pigments in the cones in the retina of the eye, making it possible to see blue, green, and red
dichromatic
a condition in which an animal possesses two light-sensitive pigments in the cones in the retina of the eye, making it possible to see blue and green
estrus
period of sexual receptivity in females, correlated with ovulation
petrosal bulla
a bony outgrowth on the base of the skull that houses the three bones of the middle ear
diphyodont
having two sets of teeth: permanent (adult) and deciduous (baby) teeth
heterodont
having different kinds of teeth, eg. molar,s premolars, incisors, canines
omnivorous
eating a variety of different foods, including both plants and animals
dental formula
the number of each type of tooth in one quadrant of the mouth
r-selection strategy
a reproductive strategy in which females have many offspring and invest little parental care in those offspring
K-selection strategy
a reproductive strategy in which females have few offspring and invest greater parental care in those offspring
arboreal hypothesis
the hypothesis that primate features evolved as adaptations to a life in the trees
visual predation hypothesis
the hypothesis ascribed to Matt Cartmill that primate features evolved as adaptations to insect predation
angiosperm radiation hypothesis
the hypothesis that primate features evolved as adaptations to flowering plants
narrow niche hypothesis
the hypothesis that the suite of characteristics seen in primates evolved not only from selection pressure for fine branch feeding, but also from the relaxation of previous selection pressures
Prosimii
the suborder that includes lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers
Anthropoidea
the suborder that includes monkeys, apes, and humans
Homininae
the taxonomic subfamily that includes modern humans and our earlier ancestors, as well as chimpanzees and bonobos
Strepsirhini
the suborder that comprises lemurs, lorises, and galagos
Haplorhini
the suborder that comprises tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans
home range
the entire area exploited by an animal or group of animals
territory
an area that is defended against conspecific members of neighbouring groups
day ranges
the geographic space through which primates move in one day
core area
the portion of a primate’s home range that contains the greatest concentration of resources and that is most heavily used by the group
intermembral index
a measure of the relative lengths of the upper and lower limbs, calculated as (humerus length + radius length) x 100/(femur length + tibia length)
knuckle-walkers
primates that display a form of locomotion characterized by walking on all four limbs with the body weight partially supported by the middle phalanges of the hands
vertical climbing and leaping
a form of locomotion characterized by leaping using the hindlimbs and clinging to branches and tree trunks using the forelimbs
brachiation
a form of locomotion characterized by arm-over-arm movement
semibrachiators
animals that combine arm-over-arm movement with other forms of locomotion
bipedalism
moving on two legs
folivorous
leaf-eating
frugivorous
fruit-eating
insectivorous
insect-eating
gummivorous
gum-eating; may also consume sap or resin
graminivorous
grass-eating
sacculated
divided into chambers
tooth comb
a feature formed by horizontally projecting front teeth on the lower jaw
grooming claw
a claw found on the second toe, used in grooming
rhinarium
the bare, wet surface at the end of the nose, seen in most mammals
Platyrrhines
New World monkeys
scent markings
a form of communication characterized by the deposition of chemicals such as urine or pheromones to mark territories
Catarrhines
Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
ischial callosities
patches of hardened skin on the rear end that facilitate sitting
sexual dimorphism
differences in physical characteristics between males and females of the same species
hominoids
members of the superfamily Hominoidea; they include apes and humans
laryngeal sac
an expanded larynx or voice box used to produce vocalizations
silverbacks
mature adult male gorillas characterized by a saddle of white hair across the back
sagittal crests
a large ridge of bone that runs along the sagittal suture of the skull; it serves to anchor the muscles involved in chewing
natal groups
the groups in which individuals are born
obligate
by virtue of necessity; our recent ancestors of the past 2-3 million years had developed a number of adaptations that effectively obliged them to adopt a terrestrial, bipedal form of locomotion
life history
the occurrence (timing, duration, etc.) of specific events and traits characteristic of a species; common life history variables include gestation length, interbirth interval, age at sexual maturity, and maximum life span
public anthropology
an emerging field within anthropology emphasizing community engagement with an aim to bring awareness to issues of inequity in the human domain, be they social, political, economic, or other
phylogenetic diversity
a measure of the taxonomic distinctness of a species
