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Evolution of Primates: From Prosimians to Modern Humans

Explore the fascinating world of primates, from the earliest Prosimians like lemurs to the humanlike Anthropoids. Discover the traits, origins, and evolution of these intelligent mammals, including Australopithecines and early humans like Neanderthals.

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Evolution of Primates: From Prosimians to Modern Humans

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  1. Primates Primate: group of mammals that include lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans

  2. Traits of Primates: • Flexible shoulder & hip joints • Opposable thumbs • Vision • Brain volume • Arm movement • Flexible joints • Feet

  3. Primate Origins 1. Prosimian like primates a. small, present-day b. lemurs, aye-ayes, tarsier c. tropical forests d. Purgatorius – earliest primate fossil that lived 66 million years ago. Resembled a squirrel.

  4. Primate Origins • 2. Humanlike Primates (Anthropoids) • These include: monkeys & hominoids

  5. Monkeys • New World monkeys • prehensile tail used as 5th limb • 2. Old World monkeys • larger, no prehensile tail, live on ground or in trees

  6. Apes & Humans (Hominids) • complex brains, lack tails, larger, different skeletal features, more upright posture • apes: long, muscled forelimbs for climbing, live in social groups • humans: larger brain, walk upright

  7. II. Human Ancestry • 5-8 million years ago in Africa • Hominids / African apes • Few fossils; DNA evidence • bipedal

  8. BIPEDAL: foramen magnum: opening in the skull through which the spinal cord passes as it leaves the brain. Head upright and not slanted

  9. Australopithecine: early hominids that lived in Africa & apelike & humanlike characteristics

  10. Example: Raymond Dart a. 1924 discovered a young hominid -Australopithecus meaning “southern ape of Africa”

  11. Example: Donald Johanson a. 1974 found oldest known & nearly complete australopithecine 1) “Lucy” 2) 3-5 million years ago

  12. Modern humans 1. 1964 Louis & Mary Leakey found humanlike skull a. classified in genus homo b. Homo habilis “handy man”, used tools

  13. 2. Homo erectus “upright man” a. larger brain & b. more humanlike face

  14. 3. archaic Homo sapiens a. Neanderthals 1) 35,000 – 100,000 2) lived in caves, larger brains, religious views, spoken language

  15. b. Cro-Magnons: possible decedents of modern humans, lived 35,000- 40,000 years ago

  16. Possible Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon were sexually active, producing modern humans. Evidence: features on some modern individuals.

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