Outline For Primate Evolution Essay, Research Paper

I.Types of Primates

A.New World monkey

1.Examples: Spider Monkeys, Golden Lion Tamarins, and Squirrel Monkeys.

2.Diet usually consists of fruit, insects, and other small animals

3.Very Diverse in size and ecology

4.Use?s tail as a fifth limb to help climb

5.First modern anthropoids to evolve

6.Successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean

1.Either by rafting on floating Islands or by crossing bridges when sea level was low

B.Old World Monkeys

1.Examples: Mandrills, Proboscis Monkeys, Grey Langurs and Baboons

2. Natives of Africa and Asia

3. They mostly live in Trees

4. They are mostly commonly known as cold weather monkeys.

C.Apes

1. There are 5 genera of apes: Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Gibbons, Orangutans, and Siamangs.

2. They are most commonly recognized as Primates without tails.

3. They also have very large brains.

4. Their diet consists of vegetables and other plant life.

1. Chimps occasionally have been observed killing other animals for food.

5. Apes are subject to the same disease as humans.

6. They can also use tools and sign language.

D.Prosimians

1.Examples: Lemurs and Mouse Lemurs

2. Small tree dwelling primates

3. They are the size of a mouse to a large house cat.

4. Due to lack of facial Muscles they cannot make facial changes that other primates use to communicate.

II.Human Ancestry

A.Bipedal

1.Since apes were pushed out of the trees by lack of food, they eventually had to adapt to walking around on two legs.

2. Since their arms were free from walking on two legs, they could now use them to use tools.

B.Hominids

1.A humanlike, bipedal Primate.

2. Possessed both ape and human characteristics.

3. Raymond Dart discovered a fossil skull that had an apelike braincase and face, but was unlike any primate he had ever seen.

C.Australopithecine

1.Early Hominid that lived in Africa.

2.Most information gathered about the Australopithecine; was first discovered by Donald Johnson.

1.?Lucy? Skeleton

a.First ever Australopithecine skeleton

b.?Lucy? was classified as Australopithecus afarenis.

c.Named after a song by the British pop group The Beetles.

D.Australopithecus afarenis

1. Earliest known hominid species.

2. Fossils of its pelvis, legs, and feet indicate that it was bipedal, like humans.

3. Its Braincase suggested an apelike brain.

1.Along with it?s shoulders and forelimbs.

4.Because of these combination of facts, scientists thought that they spent a lot of time climbing trees and when they did come down; they walked bipedally, but clumsy.

E.Neanderthals

1.Powerfully built group with thick bones and large faces with prominent noses.

2. Lived in Caves during the Ice ages.

3. Their brains were as large or larger than those of modern human.

4. Evidence of Burial Grounds

1.Might have been the first Hominids to develop religious views and communication through spoken language.

F.Cro-Magnon

1.Identical to modern humans.

1.Height

2.Skull and tooth structure

3.Brain size

2.They were talented toolmakers and artists.

1.It is almost certain they used language.