ANT101H5 Lecture Notes - Haplorhini, Ethology, Bipedalism
Document Summary
Primates have longer maturation, greater dependence on behavioral flexibility and social groups (usually with resident males) Quite generalized with a lot of primitive. Grasping hands and often grasping feet: opposable thumbs. There is a big focus on vision highly developed in primates. Grasping hands, generalized diet and feet and vision is focused on. Adaptations for living in the tree tops (for most primates in general: selection for particular group tendencies. Adaptation for hunting small prey with visions (ie. insects: using vision instead of scent. These adaptations are due to a focus on foods that are associated with flowering plants: flowers and fruits have a lot of nutrients in them. Primate ancestors developed right around the same time as developing plants. Could be for new opportunity for food (many of which are colored and up in the tree tops) these are selected for these traits. All three ideas of evolutionary advantages are not discrete but rather overlapping.
