ANTH 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Paleocene, Cenozoic, Frederic Wood Jones
Document Summary
Central role in the study of primate evolution. Became interested in the mammal fossils around paris, and his encyclopedic knowledge of anatomy enabled him to recognize similarities between animals represented by fossils and living animals. Hired cuvier as his assistant in comparative anatomy. Continues to profoundly influence the way anthropologists think about primate origins and evolution. He pointed out that lots of mammals are arboreal, but except for. He pointed out that lots of mammals are arboreal, but except for primates non have evolved the entire set of characteristics that define the order primates. The first primate specialized in preying on insects and other small creatures, hunting them in tree branches or in forest undergrowth. Argued that the shift to life in the trees was not the most important factor in explaining primate origins. The catching of small prey--using both a highly specialized visual apparatus and the fine motor skills of grasping digits--set primate evolution in motion.
