BIO1007S
PRIMATES AND HUMAN EVOLUTION
2019
OVERVIEW OF PRIMATES
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
● The morphology: ancestral mammalian traits
○ Generalised mammalian body plan
○ Retention of clavicle (colar bone)
○ Relatively flexible joints in forelimbs
○ Pentadactyly (five fingers)
○ Generalized heterodont dentition (no highly specialised teeth as a widely
varied diet
● Primate morphology: derived primate traits
○ Grasping hands and feet, with protective nails (sensitive pads and opposable
thumbs)
○ Stereoscopic binocular color vision and a decreasing reliance on smell
○ Superior dexterity and muscle coordination (bony ear, retention of clavicle)
1
, ○ Relatively large brain and complex social structure
● Primate diets
○ Frugivory (fruits)
○ Folivery (leaves)
○ Gummivores (eat tree sap)
○ Gramnivory (seeds)
○ Insectivory/faunivory
● Primate locomotion
○ Bipedalism
○ Arboreal quadrupedalism
○ Leaping
○ Terrestrial quadrupedalism
○ Suspension
● Primate behaviour and life history
○ Emphasis on learning
○ Group living
○ Intelligence important
○ Long life history stages
○ Strong mother-offspring bonds
○ K- selection ( the selection of combinations of traits in an organism that trade
off between quantity and quality of offspring)
○ Kinship important
● Social organisation reflected in sexually dimorphic traits
○ Large body size
○ Large canines
○ Facial coloring
○ Manes
○ Cheek pads
Primates: 2 main suborders:
1. Suborder Strepsirrhini (lemurs, lorises, pottos, bush babies and aye-ayes)
Traits
2
, ○ Rhinarium
○ Split upper lip
○ Tapetum lucidum
○ Postorbital bar
○ Tooth combs
Includes Infraorders:
Infraorder Lorisiformes (lorises, pottos, angwantibos, galagos)
- Small
- South east asia and africa
- Nocturnal
- Largely arboreal
- e.g. bush baby
Lemuriformes (lemurs)
- Madagascar and nearby islands
- Adaptive radiation
- Variable in size and behaviour
- Variable dental formula
Chiromyformes (Aye-aye)
- Madagascar
- World's largest nocturnal primate
- Unique rodent like dentition (only 16 teeth)
- Specialised adaptive of middle finger (woodpecker niche)
2. Suborder Haplorhini ( monkeys, apes, and tarsiers)
Traits
○ No rhinarium
3
PRIMATES AND HUMAN EVOLUTION
2019
OVERVIEW OF PRIMATES
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
● The morphology: ancestral mammalian traits
○ Generalised mammalian body plan
○ Retention of clavicle (colar bone)
○ Relatively flexible joints in forelimbs
○ Pentadactyly (five fingers)
○ Generalized heterodont dentition (no highly specialised teeth as a widely
varied diet
● Primate morphology: derived primate traits
○ Grasping hands and feet, with protective nails (sensitive pads and opposable
thumbs)
○ Stereoscopic binocular color vision and a decreasing reliance on smell
○ Superior dexterity and muscle coordination (bony ear, retention of clavicle)
1
, ○ Relatively large brain and complex social structure
● Primate diets
○ Frugivory (fruits)
○ Folivery (leaves)
○ Gummivores (eat tree sap)
○ Gramnivory (seeds)
○ Insectivory/faunivory
● Primate locomotion
○ Bipedalism
○ Arboreal quadrupedalism
○ Leaping
○ Terrestrial quadrupedalism
○ Suspension
● Primate behaviour and life history
○ Emphasis on learning
○ Group living
○ Intelligence important
○ Long life history stages
○ Strong mother-offspring bonds
○ K- selection ( the selection of combinations of traits in an organism that trade
off between quantity and quality of offspring)
○ Kinship important
● Social organisation reflected in sexually dimorphic traits
○ Large body size
○ Large canines
○ Facial coloring
○ Manes
○ Cheek pads
Primates: 2 main suborders:
1. Suborder Strepsirrhini (lemurs, lorises, pottos, bush babies and aye-ayes)
Traits
2
, ○ Rhinarium
○ Split upper lip
○ Tapetum lucidum
○ Postorbital bar
○ Tooth combs
Includes Infraorders:
Infraorder Lorisiformes (lorises, pottos, angwantibos, galagos)
- Small
- South east asia and africa
- Nocturnal
- Largely arboreal
- e.g. bush baby
Lemuriformes (lemurs)
- Madagascar and nearby islands
- Adaptive radiation
- Variable in size and behaviour
- Variable dental formula
Chiromyformes (Aye-aye)
- Madagascar
- World's largest nocturnal primate
- Unique rodent like dentition (only 16 teeth)
- Specialised adaptive of middle finger (woodpecker niche)
2. Suborder Haplorhini ( monkeys, apes, and tarsiers)
Traits
○ No rhinarium
3
