1.6: What is a primate? Flashcards
(46 cards)
What is primatology?
Uses living primates as models for evolutionary trends
Bridges zoology and anthropology
Where do primates mostly live?
South of the equator in the tropics of sub-tropics
What are the main primate groups (taxa)?
Prosimians
New world monkeys
Old world monkeys
Apes
Who are the members of the prosimians taxa?
Lemurs
Lorises
Galagos
Tarsier
Who are the members of the new world monkey taxa?
Marmosets
Tamarins
Spider monkeys
Capuchin monkeys
Who are the members of the old world monkey taxa?
Langurs
Macaques
Baboons
Who are the members of the ape taxa?
Gibbons Orangutan Gorilla Chimpanzee Bonobo Human
Name the 12 shared common characteristics that reflect adaptation to arboreality
Pentactyly Flat nails Reduction of snout and facial hair Tactile pads at terminal portions of digits Prehensility (grasping ability) Tendency towards erectness Clavicle Generalised dentition Reduction of olfaction Binocular & stereoscopic vision Colour vision Delayed maturation Complex brain
Explain how the trait ‘pendactyly’ is adapted to arboreality
5 digits in hands and feet
Enables grip
Explain how the trait ‘flat nails’ is adapted to arboreality
Larger surface of terminal portions of digits
Allows better grasp
What is unique about pygmy marmoset/callitrichid nails?
They have secondary claws, but not on their big toes
Explain how the trait ‘reduction of snout and facial hair’ is adapted to arboreality
Allows manual exploration
Explain how the trait ‘tactile pads’ is adapted to arboreality
Highly sensitive nerve endings (neurofibrils) and sweat glands
Allows manual exploration and better grip
Explain how the trait ‘prehensility’ is adapted to arboreality
Claws Prosimians have a power grip Monkeys have precise grip Apes have opposable thumbs A few NWM have prehensile tails
Explain how the trait ‘tendency towards erectness’ is adapted to arboreality
Upright trunk allows vertical climbing, brachiation, upright sitting, and walking
What are the 2 consequences of having a tendency towards erectness?
Slipped disks
Haemorrhoids
Explain how the trait ‘clavicle’ is adapted to arboreality
Flexible shoulder joint
Allows movement of arm in any direction
Explain how the trait ‘generalised dentition’ is adapted to arboreality
Heterodonty (incisors, canines, premolars, molars) allows diverse food to be processed (omnivory)
Explain how the trait ‘reduction of olfaction’ is adapted to arboreality
Primate are diurnal
Diurnal orientates reliance on vision (microsomatic) rather than smell (macrosmatic)
Which primate is the exception to ‘reduction of olfaction’?
Lemurs have wet noses (rhinarium) because they are microsmatic
Explain how the trait ‘binocular & stereoscopic vision’ is adapted to arboreality
Stereoscopic vision creates 3D picture due to chiasma (cross-over) of optical nerves – allows production of very good projection
Binocular overlap (stereopsis) allows better depth perception and therefore better detection of camouflaged prey
Nervi optici; each eye relays information to both sides of the brain
Explain how the trait ‘colour vision’ is adapted to arboreality
Trichromatism is allows the ability to see 1 million colours
Colour vision allows foot detection, mate choice
Which primate taxon does not have colour vision?
Some NWM have dichromatism, perhaps for better detection of camouflaged objects
Explain how the trait ‘delayed maturation’ is adapted to arboreality
Offspring are high quality rather than quantity
Improved fetal nourishment, longer gestation, and longer dependency in a juvenile phase results in learning via teaching
