Primates 1

Question 1

are chimpanzees humans common ancestor

Answer 1

no but we share a common ancestor

Question 2

what 3 social behaviours do we share with primates

Answer 2

1. warfare
2. culture and tradition
3. prosocial behaviour

Question 3

why do rates of evolution differ

Answer 3

depending on how intense of selective pressures

Question 4

what is the order of classification heirachry levels

Answer 4

Kingdom: > Phylum: > Class: > Order: > Suborder: > Infraorder: > Superfamily: > Family: > Subfamily: > Genus: > Species:

Question 5

what are the three major primate groups

Answer 5

Prosimii, Tarsiodea, Anthropoidea

Question 6

what doe the distributions of living and extinct non human primates show

Answer 6

• Moved less tropical

- Have occupied every continent besides Australia

Question 7

diff. b/w ancestral and derived traits

Answer 7

• Ancestral: retained from ancestral groups

- Derived: newly arising in focal taxonomy (not all share)

Question 8

name several points that make a primate

Answer 8

- prehensile hands feet
stereoscopic vision 
olfactory reduction 
large brain 
prolonged dependency of young

Question 9

what d the primate traits relate to in terms of purpose

Answer 9

arboreal lifestyle

Question 10

explain humans binocular vision

Answer 10

fields of vision of the 2 eyes overlap so same image is perceived (front eyes)

Question 11

explain stereoscopic vision

Answer 11

o Enables distance: survive in arboreal

o Eye sends signal of visual image to both hemispheres to create an image of depth

Question 12

do all primates have colour vision

Answer 12

only diurnal

Question 13

why do primates have generalised dentition

Answer 13

for meat, fruits, all types)

Question 14

what can teeth tell us

Answer 14

– dietary preferences
– age of individuals and developmental patterns
– phylogenetic relationships
– social structure

Question 15

whats a reason for large brains in primates

Answer 15

highly social: need to remember relationships + past events + social concepts + where food is (navigate environment) + avoid predators

Question 16

What are the 4 themes of evolutionary diversification within primates

Answer 16

1. modes of locomotion
2. dentition and diet
3. sociality
4. brain development

Question 17

explain theme 1 modes of locomotion

Answer 17

• Vertical clinging and leaping
• Quadrupedalism
• Brachiating
• Bipedalism

Question 18

explain theme 2 dentition and diet

Answer 18

• Tooth form, differentiation, size, enamel
• Sexual dimorphism in canines
• Diet (insects, fruit, leaves, seeds & tubers, meat)

Question 19

explain theme 3 sociality

Answer 19

• Solitary
• Monogamous pairs
• Polyandry
• Polygyny

Question 20

explain theme 4 brain development

Answer 20

• Large relative to body size compared to other mammals

- Hominoids relatively larger still

Question 21

define tapetum lucidum and which primate group has them

Answer 21

(prosimii) reflective layer in eye that maximises use of light -glow eyes (nocturnal)