c' 55 mya

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c. 55 mya
Modern primates
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Primate diversity

• Prosimians
• Primitive
• Southeast Asia, Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar
• Snout with moist, fleshy nose-pad

Madagascar
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• Madagascan radiation formerly 44 species of
  lemurs. Size range.
• Humans arrived c. 2,000 ybp
• Therefore, many species exterminated

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Specialized features
Aye-aye Madagascar
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Lemurs Madagascar Lemurs e.g.,
Ring-tailed--mostly terrestrial e.g.,
Sifakas--arboreal
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Lorises Gabon, Central Africa
Different niches
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Tarsier SE Asia
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New World monkeys
Broad noses with forward-facing nostrils
Arboreal Some with prehensile tails
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Almost exclusively arboreal Most quadrupedal
Left 7 species different niches
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Old World monkeys
Narrower nose Nostrils face forward
or downward Tails not prehensile
Most arboreal and quadrupedal
Colobus monkey
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Baboons mainly terrestrial
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Whats wrong? Humans share a common ancestor with
great apes
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Gibbons Siamangs On a evolutionary
branch separated from all other primates Relativel
y small lesser apes 13-25 lbs. 9 species SE
Asia
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A gibbon
Most have extremely long arms Permanently curved
fingers Short thumbs
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Orangutan Indonesian Islands Java Borneo
On an evolutionary branch separated from other
great apes and humans Pronounced sexual
dimorphism males 200 lbs females 100 lbs
Slow, cautious climbers four-handed Almost
exclusively arboreal Largely solitary
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?
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Orangutan (juvenile) Quadrupedal Bears weight on
sides of hands or on palms
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Gorillas

• Largest living primates
• On an evolutionary branch separated from humans,
  chimpanzees, and bonobos
• Western and eastern equatorial Africa
• Pronounced sexual dimorphism
• males 400 lbs.
• females 150-200 lbs.
• Primarily terrestrial

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Two subspecies Lowland and Mountain gorillas
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Young gorilla Quadrupedal knuckle walking
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Chimpanzees most closely related to bonobos
(same genus Pan) Moderate sexual dimorphism
males 100 lbs females 80 lbs Some populations
use tools may engage in group hunting for meat
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Chimpanzee
Bonobo Not a pygmy chimpanzee Separate species
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Brief bouts of bipedalism mostly quadrupedal
Bonobo Democratic Republic of the Congo Has
attracted attention because of a full
repertoire of sexual activities used
extensively in its social interactions
More linear body than chimpanzees Longer legs
relative to arms Relatively smaller head
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• Threatened species
• Bonobo future?
• Rocky Mountain News March 6, 2006
• 1984 Est. 100,000
• 2005 Est. 5,000
• Why the drop in density?
• Killed and sold (ca. 200/bonobo)
• Prized as food.
• Sold to local markets and urban restaurants

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Human biological attributes

• 1. Bipedalism

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In solidified volcanic ash dated at 3.6 mya)
Australopithecus afarensis Laetoli, Tanzania,
Africa
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Centers of gravity
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Chimpanzee wrong pelvis for sustained bipedalism
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2. Language
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• 3. Brain size

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• 4. Reduced body hair
• 5. Menstrual (vs. estrus) cycle