Exam 2: Chapter 22 The Evolution of Primates

Arboreal

living in 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

Quadruple movement

Moving on all 4 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.

Three Suborders of Primates

Prosimii, Tarsiiformes, Anthropoidea

Primate most closely related to humans

Chimpanzees

Knuckle Walking

Chimps and gorillas use arm to assist quadrupedal walking

First toe aligned and not opposable

Humans

First toe not aligned and us opposable

Gorillas

Short, broad pelvis

Humans

Long, oval pelvis

Gorillas

Vertebral column has 4 curves

Humans

Vertebral column has one simple curve

Gorillas

Foramen Magnum at the base of the skull

Humans

Foramen Magnum at the rear of the skull

Gorillas

U-Shaped Jaw

Humans

Rectangular shaped jaw

Gorillas

Pronounced facial feature: Chin

Humans

Pronounced facial feature: Supraorbital ridge

Gorillas

No prehensile tail

Old world

Has a Prehensile tail

New World

Nose is narrow, with downward nostrils

Old world

Nose is flat, with widespread nostrils

New world

Terrestrial and arboreal

Old world

Just Arboreal

New world

Quadrupedal Movement

Old world

No quadrupedal movement

New world

The three most recent species of hominids

Homo neanderthalensis

Heidelbergenesis

Currently: Sapiens