What is a primate?

Question 1

perks of primatology

Answer 1

bridges zoology & anthropology
human evolution
 reconstruction through fossils
 living primates as models for evolutionary trends

Question 2

List the main primate groups

Answer 2

Prosimians (lemurs, lorises, galagos, tarsier)
New world monkeys (e.g., marmosets, tamarins, spider- & capuchin monkeys)
Old world monkeys (e.g., langurs, macaques, baboons)
Apes (gibbons, orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, human)

Question 3

explain evolutionary trends + tree of life

Answer 3

“trends” –> doesn’t mean “progress”
 evolution has no “direction”
 humans are not “crown” of tree

Question 4

definition of a primate

Answer 4

“generalised” order of mammals
 unspecialised morphology & behavioural plasticity
 “specialised in non-specialisation”
shared common characteristics
 reflect adaptation to life in trees (arboreality)

Question 5

pentadactyl

Answer 5

hands & feet with 5 digits

Question 6

Flat nails benefits

Answer 6

larger surface of terminal portions of digits
 better grasp
secondary claws in “dwarfed” marmosets

Question 7

benefits.explain of tactile pads

Answer 7

Tactile pads at terminal portions of digits
reduction of snout & vibrissae (facial hair)

 manual exploration
with highly sensitive nerve endings (neurofibrils)

 different from other hairless skin
sweat glands

 better grip

Question 8

prehenstility

Answer 8

grabbing ability

Question 9

types of prehenstility

Answer 9

claws 
 power grip (prosimians) 
 precision grip (monkeys) 
 opposable thumb (apes)
prehensile tails (only a few NWP)

Question 10

explain erectness of primates

Answer 10

tendency towards erectness:
upright trunk (e.g., vertical climbing, brachiation, upright sitting, walking)

Question 11

what is the clavicle?

Answer 11

collarbone lost in many quadruped mammals

 retention = flexible shoulder joint

Question 12

explain generalized dentition

Answer 12

tree food is diverse (fruit, flowers, leaves, sap, insects, bark)

 omnivory (enabled by heterodonty)

invovlves having: canines, molars, premolars, incisors,

Question 13

explain Reduction of olfaction

Answer 13

“macrosmatic” vs ‘microsmatic’

diurnal mammals; reduced olfaciton and increased vision

Question 14

macrosmatic

Answer 14

 nocturnal mammals rely on sense of smell
 upper gum with strip of naked skin (rhinarium)
( also large moveable ears)

Question 15

“microsmatic”

Answer 15

 diurnal primates
 reduction of olfactory bulbs
 reliance on vision

Question 16

binocular vision

Answer 16

binocular overlap (stereopsis)
  depth perception 
 better detection of camouflaged prey
nervi optici
  each eye relays information to both sides of brain

Question 17

stereoscopic vision

Answer 17

panoramic (flat terrain; predation) vs. stereoscopic (3-D trees; reduced predation)

Question 18

colour vision

Answer 18

trichromatic vs dichromatic vision

allows for fruit differentiation and mate choice!

Question 19

trichromatism

Answer 19

trichromatism, red-green-blue; 1 million discernible colours

Question 20

functions of colour vision

Answer 20

 food detection

 mate choice

Question 21

dichromatism

Answer 21

dichromatism in some NWM (only 10K discernible colours

 better detection of predators?)
nocturnal

 eyes with reflecting membrane (tapetum lucidum)

Question 22

rods and cones

Answer 22

 receptors below layer of nerve cells
 misconstruction = “un-intelligent design”! ]

light-sensitive rods (periphery of retina)
 ratio of 32 receptors : 1 ganglion nerve cell (high sensitivity, low resolution)

colour-sensitive cones (central area of retina = fovea centralis)
 ratio of 1.3 receptor cells : 1 ganglion nerve cells (high resolution)

Question 23

delayed maturation

Answer 23

offspring; focus on quality over quantity

hence:
1. maternal investment high in care and reproduction
2. a juvinle phase exists for extended development/cognition

Question 24

aspects of delayed maturation

Answer 24

improved fetal nourishment
 longer gestation
 longer dependency
 learning

Question 25

how can we measure intelligence?

Answer 25

1. ) absolute values (ccm) of brain size
2. relative values of brain size (to body weight)
3. encephalization quotient EQ: brain of each species related to size expected for mammal of same body weight
    human brains 3x larger than expected for “hypothetical primate” of our build
4. ratio neocortex / rest of brain: neocortex
    “thinking” part
    gray matter that covers outside of forebrain (cerebrum