Chapter 5: Introduction to the Primates

• Why do anthropologists study primates?– To understand human evolution by:

• Homology– The same adaptations in close relatives offer

clues to design structures in ancestral and contemporary human populations (culture?)

• Analogy– How do other primates respond to the same

and different environmental pressures?

Derived Traits

• Opposable Thumbs• Nails (no claws)• Hind limb dominated locomotion• Reduced sense of smell• Increase importance of sight (stereoscopic

vision)• Small litters• Large Brain• Unspecialized teeth

Distribution

Two types (suborder):

• Prosimians: VCL, Lemurs (Madagascar), Aya-ayes, Lorises, & Galagos.

• Anthropoides: Old and New World Monkey and Apes (humans)

(see table 5-3)

New World Monkeys

• Marmosets and tamarins (small bodied)– Twins– Polyandry– Monogamous families with alloparental care

• Others: – Howlers– Spider– Wooly– Squirrel– Capuchins (tool users)– Night monkeys (owl monkey)– others

Old World Monkeys

• Colobus & Lagurs (harems)

• Macaques, baboons & vervets (multi-male and multi-female, female phylopatry)

• Apes– Lack tails– Bigger brains– Y-Shaped pattern on lower molar

Lesser apes: Gibbons and Siamangs (Asia, brachiators, Monogamous)

Great Apes:– Gorilla (Africa, polygamous harems)

Orangutans (Asia, solitary, home range, rape )

Common Chimps (Africa, promiscuous, multi-male and

multi-female)

Bonobos “Pygmy Chimps” (Africa, very promiscuous, multi-male and multi-female,

matriarchal)

Chimps and Humans are our closest relatives (98.4% Genes)