ARCH 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Postorbital Bar, Parallel Evolution, Divergent Evolution
23 Nov 2016
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Document Summary
Why do physical anthropologist study primates: they are our closest evolutionary relatives. Studying other primates will inform us about aspects of our own evolutionary history. Interested in examining the actual evolutionary process in action. Many of the processes of natural selection that are acting on modern primate species are likely similar to those that played a role in our own emergence. The place of primates in the animal world= phyla of the animal kingdom. Classes of phylum: chordata-> class mammalia is divided up into 3 infraclasses: metatheria: marsupials, prototheria: monotremes (platypus and echidna, eutheria: placental mammals. Includes about two dozen different orders one of which is primata. Nine anatomical traits: grasping hands with opposable 1st and 2nd digits. Visual predation hypothesis: generalized body plan. Types of primate locomotion: vertical clinging and leaping: generalized dentition, reduced olfactory systems (reduced sense of smell) (ex. fox, chimpanzee) plus colour vision and diurnal living, presence of a petrosal bulla.
