Practical 4

Holocene

Modern Humans Present – 0.012 Ma

Pleistocene

Adaptive Radiation of Genus Homo 0.012-2.6 Ma

Pliocene

First Hominids 2.6-5.3 Ma

Miocene

Adaptive Radiation of Hominoids 5.3-23 Ma

In the Miocene, catarhines split into two… 

Cercopithcoidea and Hominoidea.

Oligocene

Adaptive Radiation of Anthropoids (Platyrrhines & Catarrhines) 23-33.9 Ma

Primates of the Oligocene

CATARRHINES and PLATYRRHINES

Eocene

First True Primates (Omomyids and Adapids) 33.9-56 Ma

Primates of the Eocene 

Adapids and Omomyids

Which primate gave rise to strepsirrhines?

adapids

Which primate gave rise to haplorrhines?

omomyids

Paleocene

Adaptive Radiation of Mammals 56-65 Ma

Order of Geological Timeframe Epochs, oldest to newest

Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene

Adapids

• 2:1:4:3 or 2:1:3:3 dental formula

• small incisors & large canines

• large bodied (>500g)

• Small relative orbit size (diurnal)

• Foliverous/frugivorous

• Arboreal quadrupeds, specifically leaping

Omomyids

• 2:1:4:3 or 2:1:3:3 dental formula

• large incisors and small canines (high cusped)

• Small bodied (<500g)

• Large relative orbit size (nocturnal)

• Frugivorous/insectivorous

• Arboreal quadruped - leaper

Oligocene

Diversification of Anthropoidea (Platyrrhini & Catarrhini)

Parapithecidae

Ancestral to all later Haplorrhines (esp. Platyrrhines)

Apidium

Example Parapithecid

Propliopithecidae

Ancestral to Catarrhines

Aegyptopithecus

- Propliopithecidae: frugivore, sexually dimorphic sagittal crest, diurnal, arboreal

Platyrrhine

New World Monkeys (S. America)
- 2:1:3:3
-Zygomatic-Parietal contact
-No bony ear tube
- (rafting hypothesis)

Catarrhine

Old World - Monkeys, Apes, Humans
- 2:1:2:3
-Frontal-Sphenoid Contact
-Bony Ear Tube

Cercopithecoid

-BILOPHODONT MOLARS
- Narrow nasal aperture
- Small Cranial capacity
- Laterally placed scapula
-Narrow/deep thorax

Hominoid

-Y5 MOLARS
- Broad nasal aperture
-Large cranial capacity
- Dorsally placed scapula
-Broad/shallow thorax

Miocene events

Catarrhini diversifies into cercopithecoid and hominoid
-Hominoidea diversifies
-Pongidae diversifies

Victoriapithecus

Ancestral to Cercopithecoids (Old World Monkeys)

• BILOPHODONT TEETH!

• Possible terrestrial quadruped

Proconsul

“Dental Ape” ancestral to all Hominoids

Sivapithecus

-thick enamel
- very orangutan-like

Gigantopithecus

-thick enamel
-fist walker
-Pongidae clade (orangutans)

Kay’s Threshold

Primates over 500g cannot be insectivorous

Y-5 Molars

Five cusps forming a Y-pattern typical of Hominoids (Apes and Humans)

Sexual Dimorphism

Physical differences between males & females

Orbit Size

Indicates activity pattern—large orbits = nocturnal

Body Size & Diet

Larger primates tend to eat fruit/leaves

Strepsirrhines vs Haplorrhines

Strepsirrhines have smaller brains

Haplorrhines vs strepsirrines

strepsirrhines have NO post-orbital closure, presence of tooth comb (almost always) and haplorrines never do

Platyrrhines vs Catarrhines

Platyrrhines (New World) have 2:1:3:3 and no ear tube

Catarrhines (Old World) have 2:1:2:3 and a bony ear tube

Cercopithecoids vs Hominoids

Cercopithecoids have bilophodont molars and tails

Hominoids have Y-5 molars and no tails

Dental Formula Tip

Start at the back and count three molars forward

DELETE ME

Know which groups are ancestral to which