Living Primates Flashcards
mammal characteristics
produce milk, usually birth live young, hair or fur, specialized teeth
obligate carnivores
have to eat meat fo essential nutrition
obligate carnivore examples
cats not dogs
primates are an ______________ that evolved for ______________
order of mammals
a special life in trees
primates live primarily in
trees
primate species that dont live in trees
gorillas spend little waking time in trees due to large size, but they usually sleep in trees
some baboons also are adapted to living on the ground but they retreat to trees
worst tree climbers of all primates
humans- only ones truly adapted to living on the ground
anthropoid primates
higher primates like monkeys apes and humans
characteristics of anthropoid primates
larger bodies and longer lifespans
relatively large brains compared to body size
biological species require the ability to _____________ to classify them which presents an issue with ____________
observe mating behaviour
dealing with fossil specimen
biological definition of dpecies
two individuals who can mate to produce living and fertile pffspring
two things we can look at in fossil record
analogy and homology
analogies
traits similar in different species because theyve adapted in the same direction
ex. wings in mammals, bats, insects and birds
use of analogous structures
not usedful, more so answers to the evolutionary problem of how different things get to the same path
homologies
traits that are similar because theyre found in species with a common ancestor
ex. shows bats are more closely related to us than insects as they have a radius, ulna and fingers in wing
what are homologous structures useful for
determining ancestral relationships
example of homologous traits in primates
opposable thumb and big toe in different primates
plesiomorphies
ancestral traits
apomorphies
traits that have changed from the ancestral conditions
linneaus did not believe in
evolution
thus he didnt view traits as evolving from one another, just classified them as similarities
condition of plesiomorphy and apomorphy depends on
point of view
within a group something may be ancestral or be derived from a group
two types of apomorphies
synapomorphies
autapomorphy
synapomorphies
shared derived traits
autapomorphy
unique derived traits
cladogram
maps shared traits and ancestral relationships
cladistics
emphasizes derived traits and gives less consideration to ancestral traits
evolutionary systematics
emphasizes ancestral and derived traits
example of apomorphies and plesiomorphies in primates and humans
opposable thumbs and toes in primates is a plesiomorphy
humans having non opposable big toes is an apomorphy
how does funding impact species designation
bigger grants for diving an organism into different spcies than lumping them with the same
why is classification of species from fossils hard
can’t resort to genetics and professionals have different opinions on species
do primates have unique features
no, they have generalized mammalian traits
placental mammals all have
bigger brain compared to body sizes
most skeletal features of primates reflect
arboreal existence
features of primates adapted for living in trees
grasping hands tactile pads opposable thumbs rotating forearm opposable feet
finger prints increase
sensitivity- allow humans and primates to feel what they are manipulating
how are nails in humans and primates different
flattened in order to give us tactile pads that let us feel what were manipulating
what type of grip comes first in infant development
power grip and then precision grip
how is human precision grip more advanced
can pick up things between thumbs and tip of index- can pick up tiny things like hair
primate hands
mobile joints, precision and power grips
primate hands are very similar to human hands
how is primate skeletal structure adapted for enhanced vision
no snout in the middle of vision obstructing sight- flat nose area
solid eye sockets completely encased in bone except for the front side
how are human faces even more adapted for vision than primates
lower face is also flat
what does solid eye socket of primates tell us
that vision is VERY important to them
human feet and primate feet have the same number of
bones also have the same bones
different between primate and human feet
primate feet are opposable- humans are adapted to bipedalism and lost this ability
difference between primate and human spine
primate spine is like a C with one curve and human spines are shaped like an S
how does the S shaped spine serve humans
extra lumbar curve and neck curve allows us to stand upright and not be curved downwards towards ground
what does the double curvature spine allow us to do
stand upright, but leaves us prone to backaches
how do teeth tell us about the creature and its adaptation
its the one place where skeletal system interacts directly with the environment
humans are in the process of losin
wisdom teeth- happening fast enough that it will look like different species in fossil record
how are human jaws evolving
getting smaller faster than teeth are getting faster
prosimians inscisors
adapted to being tilted out to almost horizontal- useful for grooming but not eating
called a dental comb
most monkeys have _________ molars
biphondant
look like two teeth squished together
apes and humans molar pattern
Y-5 molars
where does the Y-5 name come from
5 cusps
ape characteristics
relatively large brains, fairly long arms, short broad trunks and no tails, flat and rounded molars, Y-5 molars
difference between human and apes
our arms have gotten shorter
old world monkeys canines
project below the length of tooth row
useful for defence and as tools
bigger in males than females
how have human canines evolved
reduced down to length of tooth row very early on
useful because they make speech easier- more freedom of movement
why is human canine adaptation weird
because the adaptation happened before any indication humans were using spoken language
possibly as a result of hands replacing teeth as tools
primate canines
lower canine is sharpened by rubbing against upper canine
diastema
primates have gap in front of upper canine where lower canines fit
suspensory locomotive pattern
hanging from arms (usually done by smaller bodied primates)
orthograde locomotive pattern
quadrupedal walking, hands and feet flat on surface
brachiation locomotive pattern
movement through trees dangling from arms- smaller monekys
knuckle walking locomotive pattern
walking on second joint of hand- only found in apes
