ANTH final study guide
What are the problems associated with rehabilitation and reintroduction programs for orangutans?
Apes have a hard time learning how to survive by themselves when humans have given them full care and food. They will want the food that the human gives them. Also, they will not know where fruit trees are and will not find the food they need.
What are the locomotor differences between living apes and monkeys? How do their skeletons reflect these differences? Consider the the intermembral index, the position of the scapula, and the shapes of their hands.
Apes use brachiation and knuckle walking. Their shoulder blades are on their banks allowing more movement. Monkeys however, are quadrupeds, and have tails that help with balance. They also have hands feet that both help with grip.
What are the locomotor differences between living apes and humans? How do our skeletons reflect these differences? Consider the shape of the foot and pelvis, the position of the foramen magnum and the intermembral index.
Apes use brachiation and knuckle walking. They have long arms and their shoulder blades are on their back which allows them to swing amongst the trees. Humans are bipedal, we have pelvis that are bowl shaped and femurs that are long so hold our body upright. We also have large glut muscles that allow us to walk long distances.
Where do orangutans live?
Borneo, Sumatra, Indonesia
Where do chimps live?
Central Africa
Where do bonobos live?
Central Africa, separated from chimps by a river
What does Pan mean?
Chimpanzee and Bonobo species
One of the features of human language is "duality of patterning", which is when signals are combined in novel ways to create words with new meanings. Another feature of human language is that words are cultural, people learn the language that is spoken by members of their community. Know examples of how chimpanzees display these two language features.
Duality of patterning- Cultural words-
What evidence is there for global warming?
Each year global temps go up about 2 degrees each year. There is too much CO2 in the atmosphere. Coral reefs are bleaching (dying)
Where do gorillas live?
East Africa- lowland and mountain
What does Gorilla mean?
Gorilla species
What impact does hunting, deforestation, disease and climate change have on these species?
Hunting- they cannot repopulate quickly because their gestation periods are long Deforestation- all the trees that apes live in are logged for wood products, however, the orangutans forests are used for palm oil plantations Disease- because apes are so similar to humans biologically speaking, disease affects them just like in humans so when humans spread their diseases to them, they get equally sick. However, they do not have medicine to get better, so they die off. Climate change- with the rise of temperature, the apes cannot go places that are colder and can have issues relocating in regards to no forests, and urbanization. If the forest starts to die, they will not have a place to live and they are more exposed to human hunting and disease.
What is the IUCN?
International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It is a global network of experts who's goal to make recommendations for planning and conservation of animals.
What is environmental enrichment?
It is giving stimulus to apes or animals in zoos to keep them entertained and from going crazy from boredom.
What is the significance of Australopithecus afarensis? How old is it, where was it found, and what is its place in the human family tree? How does it differ from modern humans and modern apes? Consider foot shape, pelvis shape, arm length, canine size and brain size.
It is the first animal that looks the most like humans, it was called Lucy. It was from 3.6-3 million years ago. Lucy was found by Johnson and White in 1978 in easy Africa. On the human family tree, it is found on the human branch. Unlike humans, she was much shorter, foot still had the divergent big toe, and could not walk for long distances. She also, had a smaller brain than humans and a pelvis that was more bowl shaped. She also had Y-5 molars.
Consider the similarities and differences in the behavior of modern apes and modern humans. How do we differ in terms of our language, culture and tool use?12
Language- Humans are able to speak intricate words that are long, where as apes do not physically have the capability to form the sounds humans can make, so instead they use certain "hooting" sounds to communicate excitement, danger, etc. Culture- Human culture revolves around food, music, dress, institutions, and dynamics between people. Ape culture has to do with possible hunting styles, nest styles, etc. Tool use- Humans have advanced tool use which can be made by using metals and other resources to create tools or weapons. Apes have simple tools such as rocks to break nuts, using long stems of leaves to fish for termites, and sharpening sticks to use as spears to catch food items within tree trunks.
What are the IUCN categories for the mountain gorilla, the central chimpanzee, the bonobo and the Sumatran orangutans?
Mountain gorilla- critically endangered Central chimpanzee- endangered Bonobo- endangered Sumatran Orangutans- critically endangered
What does Pongo mean?
Orangutan species
Some animal rights advocates have argued that great apes should be given human rights. What are their arguments for this view? What are some critiques of this approach?
They are so closely related to use physically and mentally that they should not be used in research because it's inhumane and because they cannot speak for themselves when being hurt in research projects someone needs to help them. Critiques are that there are some countries that don't even give out full human rights so why should apes get them?
Why are chimps considered good animals for biomedical experiments?
They are so physically similar to use and can contract and react to diseases just like humans so people can come up with medicine and vaccinations to help humans.
In 2015 captive chimpanzees were classified as endangered species, why was this a victory for animal rights advocates?
They no longer will be used in biomedical research
What impacts will global warming have on Great Apes?
They will not have a place to go to because forests are depleting and humans will not like them living in close proximity to them. Especially because they will take human food.
What are the problems with having apes as pets?
When they become teenagers, they become too strong for the owner to hold down. They also become sexually mature. And they need a lot more space to run around.
What traits would you expect to find in the earliest fossil primates?
ape dental formula, monkey walking types, smaller tails
Define Adaptation
changing something to change to surroundings
What is the significance of the fossil apes, Proconsul and Dryopithecus? How old are these, where were they found, and what are the places on the ape family tree?
it was 16 million and 9-14 million years ago found in Europe. They are in the ape branch of the family tree near orangutans.
What steps could you take to help protect Great Apes and other wildlife?
recycle, ecotourism, donate, stay away from palm oil
The first fossil apes date back to the Miocene epoch. How do we identify these fossils as apes (hominoids) rather than monkeys (cercopithecoids)?
they had the ape dental formula
