Humans are Primates Flashcards
How do modern chimpanzees give us insight on how humans evolved?
We can look at their behaviour eg altruism/empathy, mating behaviour (male competition, female choice), long term paternal interactions with offspring. And physical features such as the shape of their head, legs, sexual dimorphism (male larger than female).
Characteristics of aboreal primates:
High degree of shoulder mobility, grasping hands and feet, some opposable digits, large brain, small number of offspring, eyes to front,
Prosimian’s relationship with ancestral monkey
Looks more like ancestral monkey, mostly nocturnal.
Areas most primates were restricted to
Tropical.
The difference between new and old world monkeys.
New world: Arboreal habitat, no sitting pads, nostrils are far apart and face is wide, tail is used to grab things.
Old world: Sitting pads, sharp teeth with two ridges on the molars, mostly terrestrial habitats, short tail, menstrual bleeding. nostrils close together and face downward.
Differences between old world monkeys and apes.
Apes have no sitting pad or tail, their chest is wider, they have Y5 pattern molars, and they have a larger brain.
Ape vs hominin skeletons?
Ape femur flays out, hominin femur flays in. Ape skull attaches posteriorly, Hominin skull attaches anteriorly. Ape pelvis long and narrow, Hominin pelvis bowl shaped. Ape arms are longer than legs and are used for walking, hominin arms are shorter than legs and are not used for walking.
What are the adaptations of bipedalism? (7)
Larger glutes, Curvature of the spine, spine is positioned beneath skull, hips are wider. Changing of the big toe from grasping to walking. Knee positoned more under pelvis. Shortening hips as a base of support for the upper body.
What is the benefit of bipedalism?
As force is exerted on the body when walking, bipedalism is more efficient for primates built for that way of walking.
True or false: Humans and chimps are equivalently different to each other as chimps and gorillas are.
True.
Human brain size and relativity?
The human brain is large relative to the size of humans
Why did hominin fossil evidence come from Africa?
Man Evolved in Africa. African blood is recognised as true - likely the closest of chimp and humans.
How do rocks and plate tectonics relate to finding and dating fossils?
Plate tectonics split earth apart so fossils are able to be found. Radioisotopic dating of the volcanic rock above and below the fossil will aid in identifying during which time period that fossil was likely to be alive.
