CAS AN 102 Study Guide - Final Guide: Prehensile Tail, Grooming Claw, Fruit

• School: Boston University
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: CAS AN 102
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Primates showed up in the fossil record about 55 mya (tertiary period, eocene epoch) We are: cenozoic era, quaternary period, holocene epoch. Early primates were very small & lived in trees, nocturnal, insectivorous. Climate change is associated with many radiations of major primate groups. Primates filled a variety of arboreal niches in their diversification. Cranium: olfaction de-emphasized, emphasis on vision - postorbital bar or plate, convergent eyes/stereoscopic vision, visual processing part of brain well-developed, petrosal bulla: covers and protects part of inner ear, brain large for body size. : how an organism spreads growth and reproduction out: live long lives, reproduce late, single offspring, long interbirth intervals, females invest heavily in single offspring long period of infant/juvenile dependency, all reproductive stages are prolonged. Ecology: tropical distribution, relatively omnivorous, diurnal, gregarious. Primate traits arose as a response to living in a three-dimensional environment. Living in trees requires good vision, grasping capabilities, and a somewhat advanced brain to manage these requirements.