ANT 154A Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Kerguelen Plateau, New Idea, Teilhardina
Document Summary
Lecture 1: primate evolution: longer branches = more time, in archonta, with tree shrews, colugos, and bats, lemurs and fruit bats: another case of convergent evolution. Now: molecular clades: in what tree shrews, colugos, rodents, and lagomorphs now. How did this happen: the earth was pangia 100 million years ago, the break-up of gondwana, 1. Africa and south america 100 mya: 3. South america and indo-madagascar 80-90 mya: placental mammals of today started out in africa and south america, however, there are the plesiadapiforms: lived in north america, europe, and asia. 60-65 mya: sometimes called primates or primate ancestors. Fossil evidence: were plesiadapiforms primates, most people say no, they had claws, not nails, they had no post-orbital bar, their eyes weren"t forward-facing, most think they led to primates, though. Tiny: had low-crowned molars (for eating fruits, had grasping hands and feet, had opposable big toes with nails, had claws on other digits, was a non-leaper.
