Primate Order

Anamalia, Vertebrata, Chordata, Mammalia

Primate Classification

Primates – monkeys, lemurs, gorillas, chimps, humans, etc.

Primates cont.Family Hominoidea (hominid)– great apes (gorilla, orangutans, chimps & bonobos), humans (living and extinct)Hominins – chimps, bonobos, and humans (living and extinct)Genus Homo – the humans

Primateshair or furwarm-bloodedlive youngsuckleinfant dependencesocial lifeplay observation and imitationpecking order

Common Primate Traits

Primate Family Tree

Crown lemur

Orangutan

Ardipithecus genus

1st homonims?Africa (Ethiopia)6 mya – 4 myateeth more similar to hominins than chimpsprobably not bipedallived in woodlands and grasslands

Australopithecus genus

4 mya – 2 mya

throughout E Africaate fruits, vegetables & tuberssmall brain but likely bipedalnot tool usersevolved into Homo habilis

Hominin EvolutionHomo habilis (2.0 –

1.6mya)

H. erectus (1.9-70kyBP)

H. neanderthalensis (300-30kyBP)

H. sapiens (200kyBP –

present)

~ 20 different homo species

Sca

le:

Mill

ions

of

Years

BP

Hominid Evolution

Homo habilis: 2.3-1.6 mya

Artist’s representation of a Homo habilis band as it might have existed two million years ago.

first humans

In Africa

toolmaker

probable meat-eater

possibly arboreal (woodlands)

no speech

Homo erectus 1.8 mya to 70 000 yrs BPevolved in Africa and migrated to Asiabigger brainsmore complex toolswalked completely uprightlived in small groups (bands)firecooked meatused furs language unlikelymay have made soundspossibly wiped out by Toba supereruption? (~ 70 000 yrs BP in Indonesia)

Homo neandertalensis300 000 – 30 000 yrs BPEuropemassive brains (as large or larger than ours)large torso, short limbs, broad nasal passagescarnivores, adapted to cold climatesco-existed with homo sapiensDNA testing shows human DNA contains 4-5% Neandertal DNA

Homo sapiens

Archaic – 200,000 to 35,000 years BP

Homo sapiens

Modern – 35,000 years BP to present

Anatomically modern

Homo sapiens sapiens

Modern Homo SapiensMultiregional Model

Humans evolved more or less simultaneously across the entire Old World from several ancestral populations.

Rapid-Replacement Model (Out of Africa)Humans evolved only once--in Africa --and then migrated throughout the Europe and Asia, replacing their ancestorsmDNA evidence supports this

Out of Africa

JOURNEY OF MANKIND - The Peopling of the WorldThe Real Eve DVD