intrB04 - primates - general they are characteristic of the order 3 Primate classifications Primates can be grouped into two large divisions Prosimians

Anthropology 100 Lecture Outline The Primates  1. Why study primates ? - as our closest relatives, primates can tell us a lot about ourselves - this can be important not only for understanding our evolution, but for certain kinds of medical studies 2. Features of primates - Most primates share a number of characteristic features, including - 5-fingered hands, 5-toed feet - relatively unspecialized dentition - grasping hands & feet - dominance of vision as the primary sense - hand used for exploratory functions - few offspring, long dependency periods - relatively large brain - relatively long life-span - long-lasting social groups - not all of these are found in all primates, and none are exclusive to primates - but in

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Unformatted text preview: general they are characteristic of the order 3. Primate classifications- Primates can be grouped into two large divisions: Prosimians ( lemurs , lorises , tarsiers , bush babies ) and Anthropoids ( monkeys and apes )- Anthropoids can be divided into catarrhini (Old World) and platyrrhini (New World)- Catarrhines can be divided into monkeys ( cercopithecoids ) and apes ( hominoids )- Apes include gibbons , orangutans , gorillas , chimpanzees , pygmy chimpanzees (also known as bonobos ), and human beings Anthropology 100 Lecture Outline - our closest relatives are bonobos...
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