Primates Workbook

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P r i m a t e s

Use Chapter 29 (Primate Legacy), page 369 of your ESA textbook, the supplied Biozone books and the Primate Evolution PPT on the student drive, to help you complete the following work.

Complete the following statements using the following keywords:

anthropoids, hominids, hominins, hominoids, pongids, primates, prosimians,

Primates are a group of mammals that have adaptations to arboreal life.

Primate evolution branched into Prosimians and Anthropoids (Humans, Apes and Monkeys)

The group Hominoids includes humans and all apes (Pongids)

The group Hominids refers to humans and the great apes (gorilla, chimps & orangutans)

The group Hominins refers to humans (and their ancestors) only – habitually bipedal.

Primates are thought to have risen from an ancestor that may have looked similar to a tree shrew. Describe the features that this primate ancestor would have had:

Arboreal (tree dwelling) habitat

Grasping hands and feet

Long, mobile limbs

Quadrupedal locomotion

Binocular vision

Upright sitting position

Nails instead of claws on most digits

Primates are divided into SIX major groups”

Tarsiers

Prosimians

New World Monkeys

Old World Monkeys

Apes (pongids)

Hominins

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Complete the following tables on the group of Primates:

Tarsiers

Examples:

Tarsiers

Anatomical Features:

Enormous eyes (151 x larger in proportion to body size than humans)

Dry hairy nose

Whiskers reduced

No grooming claw

Entire upper lip (not fastened to the gum underneath)

Complex placenta

Distribution and Habitat:

SE Asian Islands

Prosimians

Examples:

Loris

Lemur

Anatomical Features:

Tooth comb & grooming claw

Wet naked nose with whiskers

Arboreal (tree dwelling)

Grasping hands and feet

Long, mobile limbs

Quadrupedal

Binocular vision

Upright sitting position

Nails instead of claws on most digits

Simpler placenta

Distribution and Habitat:

Madagascar

SE Asia

Southern Africa

New World Monkeys

Examples:

Spider Monkey

Squirrel Monkey

Tamarin (Cotton Top & Golden Lion)

Anatomical Features:

Prehensile tails that can be used as a fifth limb

Quadrupedal (use all four limbs to move about)

Strictly arboreal (tree dwelling)

Widely separated nostrils that face outwards

Distribution and Habitat:

Central & South America

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Old World Monkeys

Examples:

Baboon

Macaque

Mandrill

Anatomical Features:

Tail NOT prehensile

Quadrupedal (use all four limbs to move about)

Some are ground dwelling

Nostrils and close together and face downwards

Distribution and Habitat:

Africa, Asia & Europe

Apes

Examples:

Orangutan

Gibbon

Gorilla

Chimpanzee

Anatomical Features:

No tail

Brachiating (swing from branch to branch)

Some mainly ground dwelling and quadrupedal

Arms longer than legs

Flattened nose

Bony eye ridges

Distribution and Habitat:

Asia & Africa

Hominins

Examples:

Homo sapiens (US!)

Homo neanderthalensis

Homo erectus

Paranthropus robustus

Australopithecus afarensis

Anatomical Features:

Bipedal

Larger brain

Reduced size in teeth

Prominent chin

Reduced eye ridges

Reduced body hair

Highly sensitive skin

Complex social behaviour

Distribution and Habitat:

Worldwide

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General Primate Characteristics

Complete the following, showing general characteristics of the primate groups.

Vision: Large, forward facing eyes giving binocular vision with the ability to see colour

Face shape & snout: Face or snout projection is reduced as there is a move away from relying on smell in favour of vision. Eyes protected by a ring of bone.

Posture: Generally quadrupedal with an ability to sit in an upright position.

Brain size & specialisation: Areas associated with vision more highly developed while those for smell reduced.

Teeth shape & dental arrangement: Simple cusp pattern with 3, sometimes 4, kinds of teeth.

Collarbone: Retained, allowing for brachiation.

Limb joints: Extremely mobile, able to articulate in a wide arc.

Hands & Feet: 5 fingers on hands & feet for grasping. Possess nails, not claws and have become important sensory areas. Opposable thumb & big toe; Fingerprints to improve grip.

Reproduction: Increased infancy dependency for acquiring learned behaviour. Long period of parental care.

Social Organisation: Often complex social grouping with hierarchies and extended family groups

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Ape Skull Features

Label the gorilla skull below using the following list of terms:

Brow Ridge, Heavy malar, Nuchal crest, Protruding muzzle, Diastema, Massive molars,

Sagittal crest, Foramen magnum, Zygomatic arch, Massive jaw, Large canines, Cranial vault

Explain the significance of the following features:

Large sagittal crest: Attachment site for jaw muscles

Nuchal crest: Attachment site for neck muscles

Massive zygomatic arch: Arch through which jaw muscles pass

Massive molars: For grinding vegetation / tough, low-grade food.

Foramen magnum at rear: Attachment site for spine

Large canines: Used as defensive weapons (but usually only for display)

Heavy brow ridge: Provides protection for the eyes and brain case. Provides extra strength for other bones in the skull.

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Male and female gorilla skulls show sexual dimorphism. What does this mean?

There is a difference between males and female i.e. you can tell males and females apart.

Describe 4 ways in which the female skull is different to the male skull:

Smaller overall size of skull compared to males

Less pronounced canines compared to males

Reduced sagittal crest compared to males

Jaw is smaller (less robust ) than males

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