ANTH 2401 Ch. 9

Branisella

A South American genus from the Oligocene, ancestral to platyrrhines

the resemblance between the Fayum catarrhines and the Miocene proconsulids in skull form and dentition suggests an evolutionary relationship, even if the direct fossil evidence isn't there.

A TV show states that there is a 6-million-year gap in the fossil evidence between the latest Oligocene catarrhines and the earliest Miocene proconsulids, which could mean that primates disappeared from Earth and evolved anew some time later. An counter to this is that

Notharctus

A genus from one the largest adapids from the Eocene

Khoratpithecus

A genus of Miocene apes from Asia likely ancestral to orangutans

Ouranopithecus

A genus of Miocene dryopithecids found in Greece

Gigantopithecus

A genus of Miocene pongids from Asia; the largest primate that ever lived

Sivapithecus

A genus of Miocene sivapithecids, proposed as ancestral to orangutans

Adapis

A genus of adapids from the Eocene

Dryopithecus

A genus of dryopithecid apes found in Southern France

Proconsul

A genus of early Miocene proconsulids from Africa, ancestral to catarrhines

Theropithecus

A genus of fossil and living Old World monkeys found in Africa. It was more diverse in the past than it is today and was one of the first monkey genera to appear in the evolutionary record

Parapithecus

A genus of later parapithecids from the Oligocene, found in Fayum, Egypt

Oreopithecus

A genus of oreopithecids found in Italy that was extinct within a million years of its appearance

Eosimias

A genus of very small basal anthropoids from the Eocene

Micropithecus

A genus of very small proconsulids from the Miocene, found in Africa

Apidium

A parapithecid genus from the Oligocene, possibly ancestral to antrhopoids

Carpolestes

A plesiadapiform genus from the Paleocene, probably ancestral to the Eocene euprimates

Aegyptopithecus

A propliopithecid genus from the Oligocene, probably ancestral to catarrhines; the largest primate found in the Fayum, Egypt

Proprimates

A separate order of early primate ancestors from the Paleocene, such as the plesiadapiforms

The opossum is also an arboreal mammal but did not develop uniquely primate traits

A valid criticism of the arboreal hypothesis of primate origins is that

there are striking similarities between the Old and New World primates not only in phenotype but also in genotype.

A valid criticism of the idea that anthropoids evolved independently in Africa and South America is that

Saadanius

An early catarrhine Oligocene genus from a group of primates that gave rise to later catarrhines

Propliopithecids

Anthropoid ancestors from the Oligocene, found in Africa

Parapithecids

Anthropoid ancestors from the Oligocene, found in Fayum, Egypt

Theories of Primate Evolution

Arboreal hypothesis (Smith and Jones), Visual Predation hypothesis (Matt Cartmill), Angiosperm radiation hypothesis (Randall Sussman)

catching small prey was more important in primate evolution than living in trees

As a corollary to the idea that primates emerged as an adaptation to an arboreal environment, Matt Cartmill proposed that

Sivapithecids

Early Miocene apes found in Asia

Proconsulids

Early Miocene apes found in East Africa

Dryopithecids

Early Miocene apes found in various locations in Europe

Omomyids

Eocene euprimates that may be ancestral to tarsiers

increased vision, reduced sense of smell, larger brain

Eocene primates differ from Paleocene primates in

Basal antrhopoids

Eocene primates possibly ancestral to anthropoids

adapids

Eurprimates of the Eocene that were likely ancestral to modern lemurs and possibly ancestral to antrhopoids

Omomyids and Adapids

Eurprimates, the first true primates, consisted of the following two groups

Europe/Asia

From 12 to 8 mya, Dryopithecids were found in _____, while Sivapithecids were found in ______.

Anthropoids

Higher primates most likely evolved from

Biretia

Later basal antrhopoid genus found in the Fayum, Egypt, that may be ancestral to anthropoids

Oreopithecids

Miocene apes that were found in Europe

Victoriapithecids

Miocene primates from Africa, possibly ancestral to Old World monkeys

Propliopithecus

Oligocene propliopithecid genus

Plesiadapiforms

Paleocene organisms that may have been the first primates, originating from an adaptive radiation of mammals

fruit was a newly available food source in the Cenozoic era

Robert Sussman's angiosperm radiation hypothesis is based on the finding that

Oligopithecids, Propliopithecids, and Parapithecids

The Fayum primates in the Oligocene epoch were the

grasping hands and feet were necessary for living in trees.

The arboreal hypothesis of primate origins explains that

Aegyptopithecus

The common ancestor of all later catarrhines, Old World monkeys, and hominids was likely

Oligopithecids

The earliest anthropoid ancestors in the Oligocene, found in the Fayum, Egypt.

George Cuvier

The first primate fossil to be described by a scientist was recorded by

Euprimates

The first true primates from the Eocene -- the tarsierlike omomyids and the lemurlike adapids

Gigantopithecus

The largest primate that ever lived, named for its massive size, was

Southern Hemisphere

The majority of primate species alive today reside in

Angiosperm radiation hypothesis

The proposition that certain primate traits, such as visual acuity, ocurred in response to the availability of fruit and flowers following the spread of angiosperms

Visual predation hypothesis

The proposition that unique primate traits arose as adaptations to preying on insects and on small animals

the primate moved more like a baboon than a tarsier, is more likely to be a human ancestor than a lemur is, and the ankle of this animal is anthropoid-like.

The short calcaneus bone of Eosimias demonstrates that

an ape

The skeletal anatomy of Proconsul indicates it can be classified as

search for fossils in the Fayum Depression, Egypt (heartland of anthropoid ancestors)

This anthropologist is sweeping away layers of sand to

Aegyptopithecus was ancestral to the great apes, Oreopithecus was an evolutionary dead end, and Old World monkeys and hominids last shared a common ancestor about 25 mya.

This phylogenic chart of catarrhine origins indicates that

it lacks a postorbital bar, it has specialized front teeth, and its brain is too small

This skull indicates Plesiadapis was not a true primate because

the skeleton is a plesiadapiform rather than a primate.

Upon observation of a skeleton, you note the absence of a postorbital bar, nails, and an opposable thumb. You decide

1) North American ancestors migrated south, evolving into platyrrhines. 2) Platyrrhines and catarrhines evolved independently. 3) African ancestors crossed Antarctica and entered South America at Patagonia.

What are the hypotheses for how anthropoids got to South America?

Precision grip

Which of the following is uniquely human? Power grip, Precision grip, Opposable thumb, or All of the above

based on the current fossil evidence, Asia could equally likely be the place where higher primates originated (basal antrhopoids)

While walking across campus, you overhear a guy telling his girlfriend that the origin of every human ancestor was in Africa. You stop him and explain that he is not completely correct because

a variety of primate traits, such as convergent eyes, grasping digits, and a large brain, are common to both Eocene primates and those of today.

Your biology instructor says in class that the fossil remains of primates from the Eocene demonstrate that they were nothing like the primates of today. After class, you argue with him, noting that