ANTH-2010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Carl Linnaeus, Hominidae, Primatology
25 Sep 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Research focus of the old physics anthropology before the early 1950s. Taxonomy: classification of plants and animals; assignment of organisms to categories (carolus linnaeus developed the first comprehensive taxonomy) Homologies: similar traits that organisms have jointly inherited from a common ancestor (these traits are used to assign organisms to the same classificatory unit--taxon) Analogies: similarities arising as a result of similar selective forces in the evolutionary process. Primatology: the study of the evolution, anatomy, adaptation, and social behavior of nonhuman primates. Adapted to nocturnal life: lemurs, lorises, tarsiers. Reduced length of nose/snout--eyes are placed forward in skull. Larger skulls and brains: platyrrhini - new world monkeys, catarrhini - including old world monkeys, apes, and humans. The most important characteristic of monkey and ape social behavior: strong social bonds with selected companions (relatives and friends ). Matrilines--primate groups that are organized around female relatives. Female hierarchy: a ladder of females which are ranked one against the other.
