Lecture 1

Question 1

Numbers

Answer 1

• More than 72 extant genera
• More than 376 living species
• Estimated 200 known extinct species
• But 6500 estimated overall
• 66 species discovered since 1990

Question 2

Taxonomy Order

Answer 2

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and most specific Species.

Question 3

Binomial nomenclature

Answer 3

The use of 2 names to describe a species and genus, EG, Homo sapiens.

Question 4

Strepsirrhinis

Answer 4

Wet nosed primates, they have a rhinarium, down facing nostrils, a groove and gap in their incisors and a maxillary process.

Question 5

Strepsirrhinis include:

Answer 5

Lemurs, Lorisis, Ayeayes, and they only have a post prbital bar with partial closure.

Question 6

Haplorhini

Answer 6

Dry nose, up turned nostrils.

Question 7

Haplorhinis include:

Answer 7

New world monkeys, old world monkeys, great apes all the way to humans. They have full closure of the post orbital bar.

Question 8

What is a primate?

Answer 8

Very diverse and therefore hard to define. As primates are in a large geological regions (south america, Africa, Asia) means that they’ve evolved independently causing diversity.

Question 9

Mobility of Digits and hands

Answer 9

Prehensile hands and feet (grasping), opposing pollux (thumb) and hallux (big toe). Primates have nails and claws and apical pads (finger pads).

Question 10

Face change from mammals

Answer 10

Reduced snout and olfactory systems.

Question 11

Visual changes

Answer 11

Binocular vision, overlap of visual fields leads to improved depth perception and ability to break camouflage. More visual acuity.
Most primates see dichromatic colour vision but many see in trichromatic colour.

Question 12

Teeth

Answer 12

Primitive mammals 3.1.4.3

Whereas primates have 2.1.3.3 or 2.1.2.3. Reduced dental formula and simple molars.

Question 13

Life History

Answer 13

Extended life history, Primates invest a lot in a few offspring, quality offspring that are born developed but dependent. Long gestation and juvenile periods.

Question 14

Derived and Primitive

Answer 14

Derived- Evolutionary innovations that evolved de novo in the group.
Primitive- Features shared by a group that are inherited from a more ancient ancestor.

Question 15

Why characteristic features of primates evolved:

Arboreal Hypothesis

Answer 15

Branch grasping, Less to sell in the trees than on the ground, but sharp eyes were needed, Big brains needed to navigate in complex three dimensional environment.

Question 16

Issue with arboreal hypothesis

Answer 16

Not all other arboreal animals have forward facing eyes, grasping hands and nails.

Question 17

Why characteristic features of primates evolved:

Terminal Branch Feeding Hypothesis

Answer 17

Co-evolved with angiosperms (Flowering plants)

Grasping hands and feet to feed at the ends of branches

Question 18

Main Problem with Terminal Branch Feeding Hypothesis

Answer 18

Visual adaptations remain unexplained. Cartmill: visual specialisations are not needed when your prey is a banana.

Question 19

Why characteristic features of primates evolved: Nocturnal leap-grasping

Answer 19

Grasping adaptations and stereoscopic vision for judging depth as misjudging would cause serious injury.

Question 20

Problem with Nocturnal leap-grasping

Answer 20

Stereoscopy doesn’t really increase depth perception at long distances.

Question 21

Why characteristic features of primates evolved: Snake-detection
hypothesis

Answer 21

Visual systems evolved to better detect snakes as they can break camouflage and depth perception at close range.
Grasping hands and feet for angiosperm exploitation to feed the bigger brain.

Question 22

Primate Morphology: Locomotion

Answer 22

Leaping: Vertical Clinging and leaping and quad leaping.
Quadrupedalism: Branch, Ground and knuckle walking.
Suspensory: Semi-Brachiation and Quadrumanualism (exclusive to orangs)
Bipedilism

Question 23

Suspensory locomotion

Answer 23

Brachiation, use upper limbs to swing body under horizontal surface.
Semi-brachiation, brachiation with suspensory climbing and prehensile tails.

Question 24

Bipedalism

Answer 24

Habitual bipedalism is exclusive to humans but many primates do it for a a brief time.

Question 25

Teeth and Gut: Insectivores

Answer 25

Sharp cusps on molars and a short, simple gut.

Question 26

Teeth ans Gut: Frugivores

Answer 26

Board incisors, low rounded molars, long small intestine.

Question 27

Teeth ans Gut: Folivores

Answer 27

Shearing crests, high pointed molars, Narrow incisors. Enlarged caecum, enlarged colon and complex stomach to digest hard to digest food.

Question 28

Teeth ans Gut: Gumnivores

Answer 28

Specialised incisors, small cheek teeth and a long caecum.

Question 29

Diurnal

Answer 29

Active during the day. No tapetum (reflective eye like in cats). And smaller eyes.

Question 30

Nocturnal and Cathemeral

Answer 30

Active during the night or both. day and night. They have a tapetum lucidum, larger eyes in nocternal and intermediate eyes in cathem.