Chapter 6 Flashcards
primates
members of the mammalian order Primates which includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans
anthropoids
members of the primate infraorder Anthropoidea which includes monkeys, apes, and humans
morphology
the form of anatomical structures; can also refer to the entire organism
omnivorous
having a diet consisting of many food types, such as plant materials, meat, and insects
diurnal
active during the day
olfaction
the sense of smell
nocturnal
active during the night
stereoscopic vision
the condition whereby visual images are, to varying degrees, superimposed; provides for depth perception/viewing the external environment in three dimensions; partly a function of structures in the brain
binocular vision
vision characterized by overlapping visual fields provided by forward-facing eyes; essential to depth perception
hemisphere
one of the two halves of the cerebrum, which are connected by a dense mass of fibers (the cerebrum is the large rounded outer portion of the brain)
neocortex
the more recently evolved portions of the cortex (outer layer) of the brain that are involved with higher mental functions and composed of areas that integrate incoming information from different sensory organs
sensory modalities
different forms of sensation (touch pain, pressure, heat, cold, vision, taste, hearing, and smell)
arboreal
tree living; adapted to life in the trees
adaptive niche
an organism’s entire way of life; where it lives, what it eats, how it gets food, how it avoids predators, etc.
dental formula
numerical device that indicates the number of each type of tooth in each side of the upper and lower jaws
cusps
the bumps on the chewing surface of premolars and molars
quadrupedal
using all four limbs to support the body during locomotion; the basic mammalian (and primate) form of locomotion
brachiation
arm swinging, a form of locomotion used by some primates; involved hanging from a branch and moving by alternately swinging from one arm to the other
Strepsirhini
the primate suborder that includes lemurs and lorises
Haplorhini
the primate suborder that includes tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans
rhinarium
the moist, hairless pad at the end of the nose seen in most mammalian species; enhances an animal’s ability to smell
Cercopithecidae
the taxanomic family that includes all Old World monkeys
cercopithecines
common name for members of the subfamily of Old World monkeys that includes baboons, macaques, and guenons
colobines
common name for members of the subfamily of Old World monkeys that includes the African colobus monkeys and Asian langurs
sexual dimorphism
differences in physical characteristics between males and females of the same species; ex: humans are slightly sexually dimorphic for body size, with males being taller, on average, than females of the same population; very pronounced in many species, such as gorillas
hominoids
members of the primate superfamily, which includes apes and humans
territorial
pertaining to the protection of all or a part of the area occupied by an animal or groups of animals; territorial behaviors range from scent marking to outright attacks on intruders
frugivorous
having a diet composed primarily of fruits
natal group
the group in which animals are born and raised
intelligence
mental capacity; ability to learn, reason, or comprehend and interpret information, facts, relationships, and meanings; the capacity to solve problems, whether through the application of previously acquired knowledge or through insight
