ANTH 102 Lecture 22: Intro to Primate Behavior
Anth 102
Introduction to Human Origins.
4/27/18
Primate Behavior
A. Primates as Models
- Reconstructing behavior in fossil groups
- Incorporates many areas of research
- Behaviors and social interactions observed in living species
- Ancient habitat reconstruction
- Sexual dimorphism in fossil and extant populations
- this perspective is known as the primate analogy
B. Studying Primate Behavior
- Apes in the wild
- Difficult to gain confidence of primates
- Pros and cons in captivity vs wild
- We are better able to judge behavior without human interference
- Anytime humans put themselves in the process: change in behavior or change in
the phenotype possible
- Apes in captivity (e.g. zoos, reserves)
- Convenient and easy to study
- But their behavior may be altered.
- Ask and answer different types of questions
- Primates often display anxiety provoked behavior in zoos.
- Prediale ut don’t expet natural ehavior
C. The Primate Analogy
- Three species of primates are favored as models for how our ancestors may have
behaved
- Baboons
- Chimps
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Document Summary
Behaviors and social interactions observed in living species. Sexual dimorphism in fossil and extant populations. Pros and cons in captivity vs wild. We are better able to judge behavior without human interference. Anytime humans put themselves in the process: change in behavior or change in this perspective is known as the primate analogy the phenotype possible. Ask and answer different types of questions. Primates often display anxiety provoked behavior in zoos. Three species of primates are favored as models for how our ancestors may have behaved. Lives in the same environment as our ancestors: eastern and southern africa (this worked 30 years ago when earliest hominins were in savannas. Aggression and male dominance in society were once seen as the norm in human evolution. Baboons are not hominoids (apes) (less closely related to us) Humans are less sexually dimorphic and human societies are not always organized around a dominance hierarchy.
