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.