ANTH 1120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Depth Perception, Heterodont, Postorbital Bar

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTH 1120
• Professor: E.Finnis

Document Summary

General similarities: tendency towards an erect upper body posture. What to take from the readings: classifications, key physiological characteristics, behaviour. Primate species: over 300 identified, mostly in tropics or sub-tropics, huge size range, pygmy lemur, gorilla, locomotion, sensory adaptations, life history/reproduction, behaviours. Limbs and locomotion: high degree of prehensility in hands and feet, ability to grasp things, nails not claws, some exceptions, tactical pads, good sense of touch on hands and feet. Sensory adaptations: highly visual less reliant on smell: diurnal primates, primarily function during the day, colour vision, forward facing eyes, depth perception, enclosed bony orbit to protect eyes, post-orbital bar, post-orbital plate, brain expanded, more complex. Dietary adaptations: teeth and diet are not overly specialized, can eat a variety of things, generally omnivorous, diphyodont, heterodont, 4 types of teeth, incisors, canines, premolars, molars. Haplorini: larger bodies, diurnal, no rhinarium, increased reliance on vision, complete closure of orbits, larger brain relative to body size, nails.