Evolution Of Primates Essay

The discovery of the remains of an apparently miniature hominin species (catalogued as Lb1) on the island of Flores has sparked debate throughout the archaeological community. This species of hominin is unique in a number of aspects and appears contradictory to trends in archaeological evidence and theories about the development of modern humans in that area of the world.

Primates are one of the most interesting mammals on earth, not only because of their complex social structures, but because they hold so many similar characteristics to humans. Primates are often cited as our closest living relatives and on two separate occasions I observed four separate species of primates at the San Diego Zoo that can justify their use of their physical characteristics and behaviors that may be similar as well as different to the other primates and ours.

The arboreal hypothesis asserts that primates advanced from their progenitors by adjusting to arboreal life. Primates are thought to have built up a few of their characteristics and propensities at first while living in trees. One key part to this contention is that primates depended on sight without hesitation over smell. They could build up a sharp feeling of profundity recognition, maybe in view of the consistent jumping that was important to move about the trees. Primates likewise created hands and feet that were fit for getting grip.

I observed a type of Ape known as the Western Lowland Gorilla. The scientific name for a Gorilla is the Gorilla gorilla. Gorillas are the largest of all living primates and at native to west central Africa. Gorillas exhibit sexual dimorphism within their species because males are very obviously much larger than females. The size of the gorillas came across very intimating and gave me an off impression of what this specie was actually going to be like. While observing the gorillas I noticed that these creatures are very slow, lethargic primates. Gorillas move quadrupedally by putting weight down on their arms and knuckles as they walk. They have hands and opposable thumbs, like humans, and are able to grasp things with a better grip. When Gorillas need to reach above themselves such as for leaves or branches they are able to stand on both legs while reaching. While resting Gorillas sit on their bottoms, legs to the side in a similar position that humans do. When resting I noticed that sometimes Gorillas like to take advantage of the moment by self grooming, using their hands. Gorillas usually have an herbivore diet but eat occasional insects. Due to their large body structure it is harder for them move around quickly so they do not need to eat foods that contain as much nutrients and proteins as smaller,

Are lemurs considered to be a primate? What is a primate and what does a primate consist of? A primate is known for having hands and feet that are very similar to the look of their hands. They also are known for their forward-facing eyes. Primates are not just lemurs. Primates also include prosimians, monkeys, apes, and even humans. The first primate to be developed was a lemur. The word lemur in latin means ghost because lemurs are a nocturnal animal. A Lemur is also an arboreal primate, which meaning that they live in all kinds of trees. All breeds of lemurs have a slightly long pointed snout and typically have a long tail. Lemurs have been around for nearly over 2,000 years (Garbutt 10). This was when they first stepped foot

Many of the primates, have hands that allow them to have a firm grip similar to humans. This is essential to primates such as apes and orangutans, seeing that it allows them to swing from tree-to-tree. Humans need to grip in order to complete many basic tasks such as writing of opening a door. Apes, for example, use their hands to utilize tools to allow them to crack open nuts. Not only do they require the use of their hands to crack open nuts, but it also requires intelligence. Apes determine how much force they need to apply on the nut with the use of their tools in order to only crush the shell and not the nut. Humans are are the smartest of all the primates and use their intelligence on an everyday basis. Orangutans live in the rain forest

Smith’s arboreal theory for primate origins presented a view of early lineages navigating through the world nose first, liberated to fulfill their full adaptive potential only when they took to the trees and traits favoring depth perception converged upon those favoring smell. Cartmill countered this with examples of highly successful arboreal mammals without key primate features including squirrels and opposums, which lack front-facing orbits, grasping digits, or a reduced rostrum. He attributed the frontation of primate orbits to predation techniques and proposed enhanced depth perception diminished the need for a keen sense of smell in seeking out prey. The translocation of the orbits to the midface constricted the space available for olfactory connections to the brain and thus decreased the size of the olfactory bulbs (Cartmill 1974). The idea that orbital convergence influenced a trend toward reduction of olfactory ability made its way into the literature as part of the suite of traits defining the higher primate taxa. The debate as to whether a reduction in the size of the nasal cavity correlates with an absolute decrease in olfactory capability is still unresolved with increasing evidence to the contrary (Heymann 2006, Laska

One of the essential features of chimpanzees is their size. A chimpanzee generally weighs around 70-130 lbs and reaches the height of 4-5.5ft. Along with their size, fur is also a critical feature for them to have in order to thrive. Fur covers the top of its head, back, legs, and arms but does not have fur on its face, palm of its hands, toes, feet, chest, and stomach area. It would not make sense for a chimpanzee to have hair on their face because it would interfere with their sight. They don’t have hair on their palms, toes, feet, chest and stomach because they have thick, coarse fur everywhere else which is able to keep their body temperature regulated. An equally important and easily recognizable feature of a chimpanzee would be their opposable thumbs. In addition to this, chimpanzee’s make up of their bodies allows them to function in their environment. For instance, chimpanzee jaws are heavy and protruding, and the canine teeth are large. Their spines are constructed in a way where they can stand up similar to a human, but they also

Since the vervet monkey is considered an old world species, it inherently has a "close-set nostrils that are downward or forward facing, a tubular ear bone, and a tail, if present, that is never prehensile...adapted for grasping or holding" as can be seen viewing fossil records. (Old World monkey). Because of their tree dwelling nature along with

One of the main reasons why we are so interested in the other primates is that by looking at them we can obtain some ideas of what our ancestor must have been like a few millions years ago. Even though, we are not descended from any modern-type monkey or ape, our lineage does appear to have gone through stages in which we were a medium-sized, reasonably intelligent creature with good binocular vision, hands that were good at manipulation and the ability to climb trees. An evolutionary trend in primates involves the development of offspring both before and after birth and their integration into complex social systems. Another trend in primate evolution has been toward a more elaborate brain. In addition to brain size and gestation periods,

That is why there is always a scientific peer review to see what information is correct and what needs to be changed. There is a time split of primates of Miocene apes and the earliest hominids between 5 and 10 million years ago. Miocene apes existed in the Miocene era, but are now extinct. Homindae is are our own taxonomic family. Paleontological evidence has shown that Plio-Pleistocence hominidae is the more recent ancestors and are more likely to follow the modern human pattern.

Primates are animals and to be precise mammals. Primates have a very diverse group and this

Did you know that monkeys are one of the most intelligent animals? Monkeys are really similar to humans mostly because of their opposable thumbs. Monkeys can adjust to different environments and they can even uses rocks and stones as simple tools mostly to find food. Monkeys live in tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia. Monkeys live in forests, up in trees of course.

Resembling the physical progression of early hominids was the improvement of cultural technical knowledge that permitted them to end up noticeably progressively fruitful at obtaining food and outlasting preys. The proof for this progression in culture can be seen particularly in three developments, the invention and utilization of tools, and new survival patterns. Certain groups of chimpanzee are referred to utilize stone and wood as mallets to pop open nuts and as rough inadequate weapons in chasing small animals, including monkeys. In any case, they occasionally shape their tools deliberately to increase effectiveness. The most modern chimpanzee tools are small, slim tree limbs from which leaves are removed. It is also used as an instrument

sanctuaries. Even though primates are overall well protected in Tripura they suffer from severe habitat loss due to jhum, conversion of forests to tea gardens, rubber & timber plantations, paper mills, firewood collection, charcoal production, and human settlements. Phayre’s Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus phayrei) is known for its beautiful ‘spectacled’ looks and was once widely distributed in Southeast Asia from Eastern Bangladesh, south western China, north eastern India (Assam, Mizoram, and Tripura), Myanmar, Thailand and northern Vietnam. However this species is listed as endangered as it has lost more than 50% of its population in the last 35 years. This is mainly because of loss of habitat due to jhum (slash and burn) cultivation, timber logging and hunting.