ANAT2009 L2: Primates and Apes

Aim:
To present a comparative approach to human anatomy
-

by examining the similarities and differences in human and other primate anatomy
(especially pongids/apes)

examination of the similarities and differences will throw light on what is unique
about humans and

how human anatomy evolved

Primate apes
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3 Characteristics of Primates

Classification of Primates

Hierarchy of Biological Classification

Evolutionary/phylogenetic trees

Primate origins

3 Characteristics of primates (adaptive trends)

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Arboreal (living in trees) adaptations

Maintenance of dietary variation

Large amount of parental care invested in a small number of offspring

Arboreal adaptations of primates

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Arboreal Primates have:

o Nails instead of claws
o large, flat, sensitive tactile pad Tactile pad require flat nail
o Free mobility of digit
o Generalised/primitive (not inferior) limb structure
o Visual adaptation
o Reduction of sense of smell
o Trunk uprightness

Arboreal primates have free mobility of digits

-

The digits of arboreal primates are long and prehensile allow hooking ability

Some arboreal primates have opposable fingers and toes

o Humans dont have opposable toes

Free mobility of digits allow Precision grip and Power grip

Arboreal primates have generalised/primitive (character of an early stage in evolution)

limb structure:
-

Clavicle

Rotation of shoulder increase range of movement in arboreal primates

Rotation of wrist, radius, ulna flexible forearm

Visual adaptations of arboreal primates

-

Arboreal primates have Forward facing eye sockets high distinguishing ability
greater ability in 3D world (e.g. distance)

Forward facing eye sockets are bound by postorbital bar protect eye from
distortion (caused by movement of muscle on side of skull)

Forward facing eye sockets allow fine discrimination and fine colour vision

Arboreal Primates have a reduced sense of smell

- Use of touch instead to examine (EXCEPT loris, lemur)
- Reduction in snout size (EXCEPT baboons)

Arboreal Primates sit upright trunk uprightness

-

Sitting upright may be a preadaptation to becoming bipedal (bipedalism)

2. Maintenance of dietary variation in primates

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Primates retain different types of teeth

o Incisor, Canine, Premolar, Molar
o Retention allow for unspecialised diet omnivorous diet

However, number of teeth is reduced

Primates invest large amounts of parental care in small number of offspring

-

The large amount of parental care enable offspring to learn more Higher
chance of survival

Offspring develop complex and expanded brain (esp. visual and association areas)

Classification of primates
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Bat/primate
o Tree shrew

Prosimian
o Lemur
o Loris
o Tarsier

Old World monkey

o Baboon

Apes
o Gibbon & Siamang Hylobatus
o Pygmy chimpanzee OR Bonobo (Pan Paniscus)

Great Apes
o Uran-Utan (Genus Pongo)
o Common chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes)
o Gorilla

Bat/primate Tree shrew

-

Share similarities with both primate and bat

Good grasping abilities

HOWEVER, have claws (instead of nails) and long, projecting snout

Prosimian Lemur
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Madagascar ONLY

Many are Nocturnal

Good eyesight

Nails on some digits

Good grasping abilities

HOWEVER, Long snout (not characteristic of primates)

Prosimian Loris
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Africa/Asia

Nocturnal

Good eyesight

Nails on some digits

Good grasping abilities

HOWEVER, Long snout

Prosimian Tarsier
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Southeast Asia

Smaller snout

Forward facing eyes

Eye sockets have posterior bony wall

More parental care

Larger brain

Complete stereoscopic vision

Elongated tarsus bones of the foot

New World Monkeys Spider monkey

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South America

Quadrupedal

Broad flat nose

Retain 3 premolars

YES tail Prehensile tail

Larger brain

Old World monkey Baboon

-

Africa/Asia

Two premolars (like humans)

Mainly arboreal

Mainly Quadrupedal

YES Tails but NOT prehensile

Larger brain

Good manipulation abilities

Long gestation (pregnancy)

Apes Gibbon & Siamang Hylobatus

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Relatively small

Large brain

Long gestation (pregnancy)

Long limbs

NO tail*

Broadening trunk

*Apes=NO tail, Monkeys=YES tails

Ape Pygmy chimpanzee OR Bonobo (Pan Paniscus)

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Arboreal/terrestrial

Knuckle walker

Walk upright 25% of time

Large brain

Long gestation

Broadening trunk

Long limbs

NO tail

Smaller than common chimp

Larger breasts

More individual facial features

Sex differences NOT marked

Great Apes Oran-Utan (Genus Pongo)

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Borneo, Sumatra

Large brain

Long gestation

Broadening trunk

Long limbs

NO tail

Fist walker

Solitary

Marked sex differences

Great Apes Common chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes)

-

Africa ONLY

Arboreal/terrestrial

Large brain

Long gestation

Broadening trunk

Knuckle walker

Long limbs

NO tail

Sex differences NOT marked

Great Apes Gorilla

-

Largest of great ape

Large brain

Long gestation

Broadening trunk

Long limbs

NO tail

Knuckle walker

Large jaws & teeth

MARKED sexual differences (dimorphism)

Hierarchy of Biological Classification/Taxonomy of Primates

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Primata (order)

Homo (genus)

Sapiens (species)

Species
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A group of actually or potentially interbreeding natural population, reproductively

isolated from other groups

Give birth to FERTILE offspring

E.g. 2 different SPECIES of dogs interbreed to produce FERTILE offspring

Naming of Primates
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Genus name begins with a CAPITAL letter

Species name begins with a SMALL letter

Both names italicised or underlined

o Homo sapiens Human

Homo= Human, sapiens= wise

o Pan troglodytes chimpanzee

Pan= god of the forest, troglodytes= cave dweller

o Australopithecus africanus

Evolutionary/Phylogenetic trees
-

Once organism have been classified their ancestral relationship can be inferred
by drawing an evolutionary/phylogenetic tree

Phylogenetic relationships are inferred on the basis of patterns of SHARED

similarities
o Similarities may be morphological, behavioural, physiological, chromosomal
or biochemical

What makes a good evolutionary tree?

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Must be able to ABSORB new fossil into tree

Primate origins
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Primate were among first group of placental mammals to differentiate (thus very
old order)

Living primates 5% of all primates that have existed

o 95% of primates are extinct

Earliest evidence of primates

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Late Cretaceous period (65 Myr ago)

North America, North Africa

Called Plesiadapids moused sized, fruit eaters, quadruped

Earliest evidence of Hominoids (ancestor of apes and hominids)

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Hominids modern and extinct humans

Miocene (20 Myr ago)

Called proconsul
o Quadruped
o Suspensory ability
o No tail
o Opposable thumb
o Increased brain size