Lesson 11 - Primates

What class do primates belong to?

Mammalia

What is the subclass of primates?

Eutheria

What order do primates belong to?

Primata

What are key physical features of primates?

• Opposable Thumbs

• Frontally-directed eyes with binocular vision

• Large and convoluted brains

• Complex social behavior

• The earliest primate (Prosimian) arose 65 MYA when dinosaurs went extinct

When did the earliest primate (Prosimian) arise?

65 million years ago when dinosaurs went extinct.

What is the suborder that includes prosimians?

Suborder Prosimil.

What are the two new classifications of prosimians?

Suborder Strepsirrhini and Suborder Haplorhini

non-tarsier prosimians

Suborder Strepsirrhini

tarsiers and anthropoids

Suborder Haplorhini

What characterizes the skull of prosimians?

Large orbits, a reduced brain case, an elongated snout, and well-developed olfactory and auditory regions.

What does the suborder Anthropoidea include?

Monkeys and apes, including humans.

How do anthropoids differ from prosimians in terms of sensory reliance?

Anthropoids rely more on sight and less on the sense of smell.

What is the new classification for anthropoids?

Infraorder Simiiformes.

What are the two parvorders under the infraorder Simiiformes?

Parvorder Platyrrhini and Parvorder Catarrhini.

New World Monkeys

Parvorder Platyrrhini (

Old World Monkeys and Apes

Parvorder Catarrhini

What distinguishes monkeys from apes?

Monkeys have tails, while apes do not.

Where are Old World Monkeys primarily found?

Africa and Asia.

What are the characteristics of Old World Monkeys?

Tails are not prehensile, nostrils face downward, and they can be arboreal or ground-dwelling.

Where are New World Monkeys found?

Central and South America.

What are the characteristics of New World Monkeys?

Tails are prehensile, nostrils face sideways and are wide apart, and all are arboreal.

Superfamily Cercopithecoidea

Old World Monkeys

What classification do apes belong to?

Superfamily Hominoidea.

What are the two families within the superfamily Hominoidea?

Family Hylobatidae (Lesser Apes) and Family Hominidae (Great Apes).

What distinguishes the Family Hylobatidae?

They are smaller than great apes, have lower sexual dimorphism, and do not form nests.

What are the seven extant species of the Family Hominidae?

Orangutan (Pongo), Chimpanzee (Pan), Man (Homo), and Gorilla (Gorilla).

What percentage of DNA do humans and chimpanzees share?

98.4%.

What are some characteristics that distinguish humans from other apes?

Upright posture, bipedal locomotion, larger brains, language capabilities, symbolic thought, manufacture and use of complex tools, shortened jaw, and shortened digestive tract.

Brachiation

Arm swinging