ANTH 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Trichromacy, Haplorhini, Binocular Vision
26 Mar 2020
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Document Summary
Mammary glands produce milk to nourish young. Heterodonty, different types of teeth (incisors, canines, premolars, molars) Expansion of the neocortex of the brain. Placenta, long gestation followed by live birth. Ancestral homologies: features primates share with other placental mammals. Petrosal bulla is the one trait that separates primates from all other animals. High degree of grasping ability in the hands and feet (not unique to primates, look at climbing animals) Most primates have nails instead of claws (claws dig into things, nails help graps) Sensitive tactile pads with skin ridges on the tips of the digits (fingerprints), give better grips on supports by increasing surface area. Decreased reliance on olfaction (smell), particularly in haplorhines. Olfactory regions of brain are reduced in size in primates. Haplorhine primates have a significantly higher percentage of pseudogenes (genes no longer really working) among the olfactory receptor gene family than do other mammals, this trend is especially pronounced in humans.
