Lecture XV - Primates (Exam 3) Flashcards
What is a Primate?
-Prosimians and Anthropoidea
-Most are arboreal- live in trees
-Hands and feet that are efficient at grasping
-Flattened nails instead of claws
What is a Prosimian?
-Paraphyletic group
-Mostly small-bodied
-Arboreal
-Mostly nocturnal
What is a Lemur?
-Lemurs live on Madagascar
-Nocturnal and diurnal species
-Most are omnivorous
What is a Lorises?
-Native to Southeast Asia
-Nocturnal
-Some insectivores- primarily eat insects
-Some frugivores- primarily eat fruit
What is a Tarsiers?
-Native to Southeast Asian Islands
-Nocturnal
-Only extant entirely carnivorous primates
What is a Pottos?
-Native to Africa
-Nocturnal
-Eat fruits and insects
-vestigial index finger- helps them grab onto tree branches
Which of these statements is true, regarding the prosimians?
a.) They are all nocturnal-No, lemurs are diurnal
b.) They all live in Southeast Asia -No, Pottos live in Africa, and Lemurs live in Madagascar
c.) They do not include any carnivores- No, Tarsiers are carnivourous
d.) They are a paraphyletic group- correct answer
What is an Anthropoid?
-New world monkeys
-Old world monkeys
-Gibbons
-Hominidae
What is a New World Monkey?
-Native to Central and South America (denser forests in South America)
-Have prehensile tails- a synapomorphy of new world monkeys
-Lineage moved to South America from Africa about 40 million years ago
-Gliders, Anteaters, and Opposssum are found in Africa
What is an Old World Monkey?
-native to Africa and Asia
-do not have prehensile tails
-more closely related to the apes than to the New World monkeys
What is a Gibbon?
-Known as the lesser Apes
-Lack tails
-Native to Southeast Asia
What is a Hominid?
hominids include:
orangutans
gorillas
bonobos
chimps
humans
-all lack tails
What is an Orangutan?
includes two species
-native to Borneo and Sumatra (Southeast Asian islands)
-quadrupedal locomotion
What is a Gorilla?
-western and eastern gorilla
-native to tropical Africa
-largest extant hominids
-quadrupedal locomotion
What is a Chimpanzee?
common chimpanzee and bonobo
-native to tropical Africa
-the closest living relatives of humans
-quadrupedal locomotion
What is a Hominin?
Homo sapiens and more than 20 extinct, bipedal relatives
Hominins diverged from chimpanzees in Africa between 6 and 7 million years ago.
Bipedalism is a synapomorphy of hominins.
Hominin genera
Homo
Paranthropus
Australopithecus
Ardipithecus
Orronin
Sahelanthropus
-messy taxonomy
-Australopithecus is the ancestor of Homo
-Australopithecus is paraphyletic
Characteristics of ancient hominins
-sloped faces
-prominent brow ridge
-robust jaws
-large teeth
-relatively small brains
Characteristics of Homo
-flatter faces
-reduced brow ridge
-less robust jaws
-smaller teeth
-large brain
Hominin lineages
Hominins evolved in Africa.
-Brain size greatly increased in the lineage leading to humans.
-Body size also increased in the lineage leading to humans.
The human culture evolved.
Evolution of Homo sapiens
-evolved in Africa ~200,000 years ago
-some left Africa about 60,000 years ago
-H. neanderthalensis and H. erectus were still present in Europe and Asia, respectfully at this time
-Our species may have driven the other species to extinction
Evolution of primates
1.) nocturnal lifestyle
2.) eyes in front of face; grasping hands and feet; arboreal lifestyle; finger and toe nails
3.) diurnal lifestyle
4.) loss of tail
5.) bipedal locomotion; foot for walking, not grasping; reduced hair
Conclusions
-Prosimians form a paraphyletic group
-Old-world monkeys are more closely related to hominids (apes and humans) than new world monkeys
-Hominids include great apes (orangutans, gorillas, chimps) and humans
-Chimps are the closest extant relatives of humans
-Humans are the only extant hominin species
