Anthro 101 Midterm Primates

• because they are adapted to a wide range of environments
• Resulted in their skeletal structure that is used for multiple things (food and locomotion)

- some animals have only one function of their skeletal structure (ex. Horse hoof- one digit Function only for locomotion)

• primates have many functions:
• 1. Better vision: stereoscopic and Diurnal vision
• 2. Heterodonts (many different teeth for eating variety of foods)
• 3. reduced senses (auditory and olfactory)
• 4. generalized locomotion (can do multiple types of locomotion)
• 5. Five digits

• depth perception
• Allows to see quality of food (ripeness and rawness or poisonous food)

• color vision
• necessary to see poisonous food and ripeness or rawness

• active at night
• no color vision
• most nocturnal species don’t see color

• Quadrupedal: use of 4 limbs (arboreal & terrestrial)
• Vertical clinging and leaping: long arms for grabbing
• Suspensory/Brachiation: Swing from trees 
• Bipedal: use of 2 limbs

• in the trees run on branches
• Longer hind limbs then forelimbs

• arms and legs are same length
• Keeps backbone parallel to the ground

• brachiation- swinging from trees
• Ex. gibbons

obligate

• Polygynous    
• Polyandrous  
• Monogamous    
• Multimale/multifemale  
• Solitary

• 1) prehensility
• 2) altricial young
• 3) highly intelligent
• 4) varied social organization

• an appendage adapted for holding or grasping
• Only new world monkeys have prehensile tails ex. black howler monkey
• All primates have dermal ridges; humans have closer dermal ridges, which has to do with how sensitive our fingers are
• Opposable digits – related to prehensility
• spider monkey's do not have opposable digit on front legs
• Most primates have nails, no claws
• Tarsier's have little claws
• Sensitive tactile digits

• born helpless
• typically primates will have one offspring at a time
• Long gestation periods; carrying in utero
• Primates have longest period of dependency among mammals

• humans and chimps have largest brain relative to body size
• human brain surface is about 1350 cc
• chimp brain surface is 400 cc
• Humans have big neocortex (thinking part of brain)

• Monogamous – ex. gibbons, samangs
• Uni-male groups – Gorillas
• Uni-female – marmasets + tamarines
• Multifemale /multimale – baboons, macaques, chimps
• solitary - orangutans

organ in the nostril that makes nose damp

group of front teeth found in lemurs and lorises for grooming and feeding

• 2-1-2-3
• Total: 32

• 2-1-3-3
• Total: 36

• 2-1-3-2
• Total: 32

• slicing
• cutting
• gnawing

• stabbing
• holding prey
• threatening others

• grasping
• holding on to prey
• chew
• grind

• shearing
• grinding food
• Chewing
• Crushing

lemurs only found on madagascar

Studied Gorillas

• Studied Chimpanzees in Tanzania at Gombe national park
• 1st to identify them using tools, straw, and breaking nuts with rocks