Chapter 22: The Evolution of Primates

Arboreal

living in the trees

Brachiation

swinging from limb to limb in trees for example

Prehensile tail

one that can be used like an arm or leg for grasping and holding on

Quadrupedal movement

moving on all four limbs

Stereoscopic vision

seeing an object at the same time with both eyes in the same plane with a slightly different perspective gives depth perception, width, height, etc.

Primate cladogram

Humans are hominins (hominids) in hominoid group

the suborders of primates

prosimii, tarsiiformes, and anthropoidea

Hominoid locomotion

how we move

Knuckle walking

Use arms to assist in quadrupedal walking (chimpanzees and gorillas)

Upright

hominini including current humans

Toe alignment

Humans - first toe aligned and not opposable

Gorillas - first toe not aligned and is opposable

Pelvis

Humans - short, broad; Gorillas - long, oval

Vertebral column

Humans - 4 curves; Gorillas - one simple curve

Foramen magnum

Humans - base of skull; Gorillas - rear of skull

Jaw

Humans - u-shaped; Gorillas - rectangular

Pronounced facial feature

Humans - chin; Gorillas - supraorbital ridge - area above eyebrows

Old World monkeys

no prehensile tail, narrow with downward nostrils, both terrestrial and arboreal,

quadrupedal movement

New World monkeys

prehensile tail, flat widespread nostrils, arboreal - up in the trees