ANTHROP 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Sandie Shaw, Australopithecus, Thumb
1 Jun 2016
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Lecture 5: ten key questions that forensic anthropologists ask. Really easy if you have kids (babies to twelve years old) You can only figure out if you have the long bones (arms and legs) There are approximately 190 species of non-human primates: can be divided into 3 groups. Primates can"t be easily defined by a few traits: we see evolutionary trends instead. Five digits on hands and feet, but some show diminished thumb and second finger. Partially opposable thumb and most have fully divergent, partly opposable big toe. Nails instead of claws (except some new world monkeys) Tactile pads with nerves at ends of fingers to enhance touch sense. Colour vision all diurnal have it, nocturnal do not. Depth perception: stereoscopic vision allows to see in three dimensions. Binocular vision both set toward front of head. Decreased reliance on sense of smell (olfaction) reduction in sensory areas of brain and in snout.
