Anth, 9 Jan 2002

[adric]

Carlos project update: Museum renovations of greater scope than expected, project canceled

Primates (non-human):

• Prosimians: primitive primates (image)
  
  
  
  • closest to early emerging primates (of 40e6 BP)
    
  • no longer found in "New World"
    
  • Madagadcar, Oceania (Indo, Phill)
    
  • major primate features:
    
    
    
    • opposable thumb
      
    • forward facing eyes: binocular vision: focus on one image
      
  
  
  • diff from primates:
    
    
    
    • greyscale vision (more mammalian than primate)
      
    • moist nose, more sensitive
      
  
  
  
  


• advantages in that time:
  
  
  
  • ground dangerous due to dinosaurs
    
  • fruit bearing trees developing
    
  
  



• Monkeys: Old World v. New World
  
  
  
  • color vision
  
  
  • colored fur, part. around face
  
  
  • less facial hair -> facial expression
  
  
  • New World Monkeys (image):
    
    
    
    • Americas
      
    • from pocket to cat to small dog (howler)
      
    • prehensile tail (5th hand)
      
    • lack elaborate social structures of Old World
      
    • less danger than on ground, less need for organization
      
    • harder to build society in trees
      
    • long duration, loud vocalization -> mark territory
      
    • howler monkey troops audible 2 miles away (2nd loudest natural sound known)
      
  
  
  • Old World Monkeys (image):
    
    
    
    • rear callouses for sitting
      
    • Africa, Asia
      
    • tails not prehensile
      
    • close-knit communities
    
    
    • live on ground
      
    • smaller than human but much stronger
      
    • color used in body language
      
      
      
      • male blue-nosed mandrils face blush "electric" red and blue
        when aroused/angry
        
      • probuscus: nose swells up to 6x ""
        
    
    
    • baboons, macaques
      
  
  
  
  • Apes:
    
    
    
    • 4 varieties
    
    
    • all endangered
    
    
    • finger pad sensitivity
      
    • knuckle walking, curl finger under
      
    • no tail
    
    
    • swing through trees (brachiators: fully rotate arms)
      
    • Gibbon-siamang
      
      
      
      • swings at up to 35 mph
        
    
    
    • Orangutan
      
      
      
      • 
        
    
    
    • Gorilla
      
      
      
      • Africa
        
    
    
    • Chimpanzees
      
      
      
      • Common Chimp
        
      • Bonobo - extremely rare
        
      • Africa
        
      
      
      
    • other key primate traits
      
      
      
      • estrus cycle:
        
        
        
        • cyclical periods of fertility and sexual activity
          
        • 1 day in 365 for some prosimians
          
        • specific scent in urine
          
        • sexual skin on rear becomes enlarged / colored
          
        • chimps: non-discriminatory promiscuity may mate as much as 20 times in a cycle
          
        • gibbons: life monogamous
          
        • estrus stops between conception and weaning
          
        • chimps: as long as 4-5 years without sexual activity
          
        • conquering gorilla will kill nursing offspring to bring harem back to estrus
          
      
      
      • one offspring per birth (tendency)
        
        
        
        • newborn offspring helpless
          
        • must be taught everything past grasp and nurse
          
        • only recently have humans started to reproduce so rapidly (1 offspring/year or more)
          
        • when did human ancestors lose the estrus cycle
          
        
        
      • no menopause
        
      • long infant dependency
        
      • long maturation period
        
      • long life spans
        
        
      • social relationships
        
        
        
        • protection from danger
          
        • emotional support
          
      
      
      • individual recognition
        
        
        
        • chimps recognize their own faces in mirror
          
      
      
      • recognition of different status in groups
        
      • complex vocal and visual comms
        
        
        
        • different messsages for different situations
          
        • different response to different threats
          
        • 
          
      
      
      • mutual grooming for group cohesion
        
      • dependence on learned information/skills
        
      • flexible, adaptable behaviours developed through problem solving
        
      
      
      
    • Babboons and Macaques (video)
      
    • babboons no longer live in trees all the time
      
    • Japanese macaques use volcanic hot springs in winter
      
    • island macaques demonstrated remarkable abilities in onnvation and social learning with respect to yams and rice
      
    
    
    green scantron form and pencil