Primates

Primate: group of mammals that include lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans

Traits of Primates: •Flexible shoulder & hip joints

•Opposable thumbs

•Vision

•Brain volume

•Arm movement

•Flexible joints

•Feet

Primate Origins1. Prosimian like

primatesa. small, present-day b. lemurs, aye-ayes,

tarsierc. tropical forestsd. Purgatorius –

earliest primate fossil that lived 66 million years ago. Resembled a squirrel.

Primate Origins2. Humanlike Primates (Anthropoids)

•These include: monkeys & hominoids

Monkeys1.New World monkeys

•prehensile tail used as 5th limb

2. Old World monkeys

• larger, no prehensile tail, live on ground or in trees

Apes & Humans

(Hominids)•complex brains, lack tails,

larger, different skeletal features, more upright

posture

apes: long, muscled forelimbs for climbing, live

in social groups

humans: larger brain, walk upright

II. Human Ancestry

A. 5-8 million years ago in Africa

1.Hominids / African apes

a.Few fossils; DNA evidence

b.bipedal

BIPEDAL: foramen magnum: opening in the skull through which the spinal cord passes as it leaves the brain. Head upright and not slanted

Australopithecine: early hominids that lived in Africa & apelike & humanlike characteristics

Example:

Raymond Dart

a. 1924 discovered a young hominid -Australopithecus meaning “southern ape of Africa”

Example:

Donald Johanson

a. 1974 found oldest known & nearly complete australopithecine

1) “Lucy”

2) 3-5 million years ago

Modern humans1. 1964 Louis & Mary Leakey found humanlike skull

a. classified in genus homo

b. Homo habilis

“handy man”, used tools

2. Homo erectus

“upright man”

a. larger brain & b. more humanlike face

3. archaic Homo sapiens

a. Neanderthals

1) 35,000 – 100,000

2) lived in caves, larger

brains, religious views, spoken language

b. Cro-Magnons: possible decedents of modern

humans, lived 35,000- 40,000 years

ago

Possible Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon were sexually active, producing modern humans. Evidence: features on some modern individuals.