Anthropology Exam 2
robert broom
found Australopithecus robustus (Paranthropus) in a quarry at Strekfontein, Robustus shows evidence of near-modern terrestrial bipedalism, but it wasn't accepted until 1947
number of adaptive radiations for primates
four
foods utilized by different primate species
fruits, flowers, leaves, nuts, seeds, birds, eggs, lizards, insects, and others. they obtain by being hunters and gatherers
diastema
gap between teeth
Archicebus
genus of fossil primates that lived in the early eocene, oldest fossil primate skeleton discovered, closely related to tarsiers,
thick enamel on molars
good for crushing food, suggests animal used teeth to grind seeds or crush the narrow out of bones
Dian Fossey
gorillas in rwanda
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
The earliest pre-australopithecine species found in central Africa with possible evidence of bipedalism.
Oldowan
The earliest stone tools. Simple chopping tools and sharp flakes, Oldowan tools date to about 2.4 million years ago. These tools were probably made by Homo habilis. Some evidence suggests they may also have been produced by Paranthropus robustus (sometimes labeled Australopithecus robustus).
dental formula
The numerical description of a species' teeth, listing the number, in one quadrant of the jaws, of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars.
Tethys Sea
Narrow sea with a strong westward current that moved organisms great distances and, following the breakup of Pangaea, separated Africa and Eurasia before they collided, caused massive cooling and drying effect
Catarrhines
Old World Monkeys, Apes, Humans
Polyandry
One female, several males.
regional hypothesis
The Multiregional Hypothesis argues that our earliest hominid ancestors radiated out from Africa and Homo sapiens evolved from several different groups of Homo erectus in several places throughout the world.
Rhinarium
The moist, hairless pad at the end of the nose seen in most mammalian species. Enhances an animal's ability to smell.
Dendrochronology
The process of counting tree rings to determine the age of a tree
differences between robust and gracile australopithecines
The smaller temporal fossa in Gracile. Robust have larger temporal fossa. A longer snout in the graciles, and a shorter one in the robust. Graciles have larger incisors and canines and smaller in premolars and molars and the opposite happens in robust. Graciles came earlier. Tool use was probable in Graciles and possible in robust. No sagittal crest in Graciles while there was in Robust. Facial prognathism in gracile, and less of it in robust.
paleomagnetism
The study of the alignment of magnetic minerals in rock,specifically as it relates to the reversal of Earth's magnetic poles; also the magnetic properties that rock requires during formation, mostly used on seafloors, polarity chrons (epochs) and polarity subchrons (events)
Cercopithecines
The subfamily of Old World monkeys that includes baboons, macaques, and guenons.
Bicondylar Angle
angle of the femur to allow for upright walking. Aligns knees closer to the line of center of gravity
Pronconsul
ape genus from East Africa, early Miocene epoch. 20 mya. They're very close to modern apes. eyes are fully rotated to the front, there is a reduction of a snout. arboreal quadrepedal animals. fruit eaters.
Hominidae
apes and humans
dental arcade
arrangement of teeth in mouth
landform movement impacting spread of primates
as pangea and other mass landforms began to spread primates became seperated. Some stayed in what is now africa, asia, and south america
old world monkey examples
baboons, snow monkeys
jaws and teeth of chimps
broad incisors, long and pointed canines, U-shaped tooth row, more narrow jaw
absolute dating
can be used by dating the material directly (C14) or by dating matrix around the materia of interest (K-Ar)
importance of dental enamel thickness
can indicate diet, thin is more ape like where as thick is more human like
thin enamel on molars
causes sharp edges, perfect for tearing and slicing foods like leaves and fruit
zygomatic arch
cheek bone
jane goodall
chimps in tanzania
african apes
chimps, bonobo, gorillas
cost/ benefits of social organizations
communication, grooming, learned behavior, child raising, dominance issues, sexual selection
Geologic Chronology
dating materials based on the layers of the earth, have to look at relative dating laws like superposition, original horizontality, etc
Nariokotome Boy
discovered by Richard Leakey; most complete Homo erectus ever found; age ~12; would have been 6 ft. tall; found in Lake Turkana, Kenya; we know its age because of its immature dentition
charles dawson
discovery of Piltdown Specimen, 1912, human-like brain with ape-like teeth, turned out to be a hoax
haplorine
dry noses, larger brains, active during the day, quadruped, semi-brachiation, post orbital bar, (tarsiers, monkeys, apes, humans)
C14 dating
earliest radiometric method, a technique used to date fossils that uses the known disintegration rate of radioactive carbon; the amount of carbon-14 remaining in fossils indicated their age, best to use on materials directly
bipedalism affect on limbs
longer legs, enlarged knee and hip joints to carry more weight, lumbar and thoracic curves of the spine, foramen magnum under skull
difference between apes and monkeys
m have tails, a do not. m are smaller, a are larger, apes are more intelligent and use sounds to communicate, apes have larger brains, m have broad nose, a have narrow noses
new world monkey examples
marmosets, tamarins
monogamy
marriage with one mate at a time
flourine
measures the amount of flouride absorbed by the bones from the groundwater around it, can not provide a calendar date,
Prosimians
members of the primate group comprised of lorises, bushbabies, tarsiers, and lemurs
when were the major adaptive radiations of primates
miocene epoch (apes and hominoids), eocene (early strepsrinnes), late eocene (anthropoid), oligocence (anthropoids),
fourth adaptive radiation
miocene, movement of continents closed tethy's sea which resulted in massive climate shift, continents pushed up himilayan mountains, emergence of truly modern apes and old world forms
strepsirhines
moist nose, dental comb, long snout, grooming claw, vision not as stereoscopic, leaping and vertical climbing, (lemurs, lories, aye-ayes)
Y-5 molar
molar that has five cusps with grooves running between them, forming a Y shape. This is characteristic of hominoids
differences between monkeys and apes and humans
monkeys have tails, apes and humans do not, monkeys skeletons are more similar to cats and dogs or other four legged animals because they move in the same ways
morphological characteristics of homo
more rounded cranium, greater cranial capacity and brain reorganization, tool use certain, dental apparatus reduction
types of social organization used by primates
multimale/ multifemale, variable, one male/ multifemale, one male/ one female
Candelabra Hypothesis
multiple early migrations from Africa (as long as 1 million years ago) established different populations of H. erectus that evolved separately into different races
Platyrrhines
new world monkeys
difference between new world and old world monkeys
nw: spend all time in trees, long sharp nails, wide nostrils that are round, can see color ow: larger in size, narrow nostrils pointing down, both in trees and on land, see black and white
evidence for homo tool use
oldowan flaking and chopping tools, gona tools
third adaptive radiation
oligocene, radiation of the higher primates, earliest were found in china and burma
humans relative to other primates
on the more developed end, near gorillas, chimps, and bonobos, most developed
birute gladikas
orangutans in Borneo and Indonesia
names and date ranges for tertiary epochs of the cenozoic
paleocene (66 mya) eocene (55.8 mya) oligocene (33.9 mya) miocene (23 mya) pliocene (5.3 mya)
Arthur Keith
perpetuated Piltdown man hoax
cusp
pointed
Grooming
practices to care for oneself, such as caring for fingernails and hair
Pat Shipman
recognized cut marks on fossil bones that came from stone tools
specialization vs. generalization
specialized teeth allow for a greater variety of foods that can be consumed, makes it easier to eat. generalization lessen the amount of foods that can be eaten, all look similar
K-Ar dating
technique useful for dating igneous rocks over a wide age range and based on the radioactive decay of a potassium isotope to argon, used to date item indirectly
subsistence
the action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself at a minimum level
Stratigraphy
the branch of geology concerned with the order and relative position of strata and their relationship to the geological time scale.
Purgatorius
the earliest fossil that could have given rise to both primates and plesiadapiforms, oldest known genus
Lucy
the first human who left remains of her bones; she lived around 3.5 million years ago, ethiopia, 40% complete
alpha male/female
the leader of a pack or group
Palyonology
the study of pollen grains and other spores, especially those found in geological or archaeological deposits
Philopatry
the tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area
Femur
thigh bone
behaviors of homo
tools, subsistence, fire, language, habitation, art, ritual
similar to both apes and humans
what did scientist expect the earliest human ancestors to look like?
gona tools
what kind of tools did the gracile australopithecines use
frontal lobe
what part of the brain changed the most
bonobos and then chimps
what primate is most closely related to humans
how point zero is established for C14 and K-Ar
when a grain forms it has a C14 and K-Ar content of 0. overtime the content increases and you can determine the age of origin by radioactive dating until the material reaches 0 again
1.8 mya
when did brain size increase
5.5-7 mya
when was the split from human and chimp common ancestors
jaws and teeth of humans
wider jaw, narrow incisors, short canines, premolars, arched tooth row, molars
polygynous
refers to a social group that includes one adult male, several adult females, and their offspring
sectoral premolar
refers to the first lower premolar of apes and some monkeys, acts as a cutting edge
what dentition tells us about the diet of an animal
rougher teeth means they eat hard foods,
examples of relative dating
stratigraphy, artifact, biostratigraphy, flourine
haplorine examples
tarsiers, monkeys, apes, humans
Footprints at Laetoli
-found in 1978 -found by Mary Leakey's group -near Olduvai -3 individuals walked across damp volcanic ash 4 mya -heel strike, big toe alignment, and arch are bipedal traits
australopithecus robustus
A robust australopithecine from South Africa that may have descended from Au. afarensis, was contemporaneous with Au. boisei, and had the robust cranial traits of large teeth, large face, and heavy muscle attachments.
Fayum
A site southwest of Cairo, Egypt, where the world's best record of Oligocene primate fossils has been found
Pangea
A supercontinent containing all of Earth's land that existed about 225 million years ago.
First Family
AL 333 is a collection of prehistoric hominid teeth and bones that was discovered in 1975 by Don Johanson in Hadar, Ethiopia and is estimated to be about 3.2 million years old and is thought to contain at least 13 individuals. They are thought to be related to the species Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis
Lucy. An early australopithecine from East Africa that had a brain size equivalent to a modern chimpanzee's and is thought to be a direct human ancestor.
relative dating
Method of determining the age of a fossil by comparing its placement with that of fossils in other layers of rock
how major fossil primates are related to modern primates
Most of those species are not thought to be related in line with modern primate species, except for Sivipithecus, which is related to the orangutan
anthropoid
Human like primates
bilophodonty
Molars that have 4 cusps, oriented in 2 parallel rows. Characteristic of OWM
Prognathism
Projection of the jaw(s) beyond the projection of the forehead. may lead to misalignment of dental structures
Brachiation
a method of movement that uses the arms to swing from branch to branch
Franz Weidenreich
1873-1948. Succeeded Davidson Black. Made casts of Peking Man. Exposed Piltdown Man hoax. Concluded that Homo erectus practiced cannibalism.
dental formula of apes, humans, cattarhines
2.1.2.3
dental formula of strepshirines
2.1.3.3
primates first appear in fossil records
55 mya or during the eocene epoch
first adaptive radiation
65 mya at the K-T boundary, most common mammals came from this, Pleiseodapforms not true primates but similar to primitive mammals
Branisella
A South American genus from the Oligocene, ancestral to platyrrhines, earliest new world monkey actually in the new world
brow ridge
A bony ridge located above the eye sockets of all primates.
Alloparenting
A common behavior in many primate species whereby individuals other than the parents hold, carry, and in general interact with infants.
sexual selection
A form of natural selection in which individuals with certain inherited characteristics are more likely than other individuals to obtain mates.
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, wrinkled scrotal development, molar enamel
Adapis
A genus of adapids from the Eocene, one of the first primates
Australopithecus africanus
A gracile australopithecine from South Africa that was contemporaneous with A. aethiopicus, A. garhi, and A. boisei and was likely ancestral to A. robustus.
hierarchy
A group organized by rank
foramen magnum
A large opening at the base of the skull through which the brain connects to the spinal cord.
australopithecus sediba
A late species of australopithecine from South Africa that may have descended from Au. africanus, was a contemporary of Au. robustus, and expresses anatomical features found in Australopithecus and in Homo.
Tim White
An American Paleoanthropologist and Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is most famous for his work on Lucy as Australopithecus afarensis with discoverer Donald Johanson.
lemurs
An arboreal primate with a pointed snout and typically a long tail, found only in Madagascar.
Taung
Austrolopithecus africanus - southern ape found in africa, dismissed as a gorilla, 3-4 yrs old, lived 2.6 mya, juvenile Hominid, Small brain, large jaw,
major differences between humans and apes
Bipedalism (H)/Quadrupedealism (A). Large Brain (H)/Smaller Brain (A). Loss of opposable toe (H)/ Opposable toe (A). Loss of canine-premolar complex (H)/canine-premolar complex (A). Parabolic dental arcade (H)/Rounded dental arcade (A). Reduced facial prognathism (H)/Facial prognathism (A). Spoken language (H)/ None (A). Advanced tool use (H)/Rudimentary tool use (A).
differences between australopithicus and homo
H: greater cranial capacity, flatter face, shorter tooth row, more human locomotion, tool use increases A: face, jaw, teeth larger, brain size does not radically change, no tool use indicated
examples of absolute dating
Carbon 14, Potassium Argon, paleomagnetism
Mate choice
Determined by a number of factors, including genetic qualities, overall health, and potential parenting skills of prospective mates
sexual dimorphism
Differences in physical characteristics between males and females of the same species.
Don Johanson
Discovered the fossil of female australopithecus Lucy in the Afar Triangle region of Ethiopia
australopithecus boisei
Early hominin, described as the largest of the Paranthropus genus. It lived in Eastern Africa during the Pleistocene epoch from about 2.3 until about 1.2 million years ago.
Homo rudolfensis
Early species belonging to our genus, Homo. Similar enough to Homo habilis that some paleoanthropologists make no distinction between the two.
asian apes
Gibbons, Siamangs, Orangutans
William Howells
Harvard professor emeritus of anthropology agreed with the revival of Paranthropus, noting that the anatomical differences between gracile and robust australopiths at least equal those between living chimpanzees and gorillas, which are classified in separate genera.
Lake Turkana
Home of the most complete skull of Homo Habilis discovered in East Africa, dated to 1.7 mya.
Laurasia
Late Paleozoic, Northern Hemisphere continent composed of the present-day continents of North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia
black skull
Paranthropus aethiopicus KNM-WT 17000 Large Sagittal ridge Black from Manganese Discovered by Richard Leakey in 1985
occipital condyles
Rounded projections lateral to the foramen magnum that join with the first cervical vertebra (atlas)
Gondawanaland
Southern part of Pangaea. consisted of everything but Eurasia and North America
Raymond Dart
Was an anatomist in South Africa who realized the significance of the Taung skull, thought Australopithecus had made primitive osteodontokeratic (bone, tooth and horn) tools but it is now accepted that those artifacts were merely the result of carnivore activity, found africanus but it wasn't accepted as the missing link because it didn't look like Piltdown and it wasn't in Europe or Asia
Alan Walker
Wrote Wisdom of the Bones; Nariokotome boy; found h. Ergaster (Turkana Boy) with richard leakey; hyper vitamin specimen
Aegyptopithecus
a basal catarrhine from the Fayum in Africa; dated to the Oligocene epoch. Predates the divergence between hominoids and Old World monkeys
sagittal crest
a bony ridge on the top of the skull to which the jaw muscles are attached. (for chewing purposes)
post-orbital bar
a bony ring encircling the lateral side of the eye but not forming a complete cup around the eye globe
piltdown man
a doctored modern human skull and ape jaw that was "discovered" in 1911 and supposed to represent a very primitive human, Eoanthropus dawsoni, but later exposed as a hoax in 1953
knuckle walking
a form of quadrupedal walking in which the forelimbs hold the fingers in a partially flexed posture that allows body weight to press down on the ground through the knuckles.
unfused mandible
a mandible (jawbone) that is made of two separate bones that are attached by cartilage along the midline
Biostratigraphy
a relative dating technique based on the regular changes seen in evolving groups of animals as well as the presence or absence of particular species
tarsiforms
a small insectivorous, tree-dwelling, nocturnal primate with large eyes, a long tufted tail, and long hind limbs, native to the islands of Southeast Asia.
dental comb
a structure formed by the front teeth of the lower jaw projecting forward almost horizontally; found in prosimians
Biomolecular clock
a technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged
vertical climbing and leaping
a type of arboreal locomotion seen most commonly among prosimian primates (lemurs)
Second Adaptive Radiation
actually first true primates, very warm climate with lots of increased rainfall, primarily in north america and europe (which were connected), eocence radiation of the streppsirines
prehensile
adapted for grasping or holding
Necrolemur
extinct group of the lemur primate, found in western europe
Homo habilis
extinct species of upright east African hominid having some advanced humanlike characteristics
methods to reconstruct paleoenvironments
faunal analysis, paleobotany, isotope dating, absolute and relative dating
Gracile australopithecines
first hominoid known to have used tools
structural adaptations that allowed for bipedalism
foramen magnum located at base of skull instead of the back, wider sacrum with blades curved to the front, shorter and broader illium, hip sockets turned more to the front
fission-fusion
form of mating system seen in chimpanzees, bonobos, and a few other primates in which there are temporary subgroups but no stable, cohesive groups
Louis Leakey
found Australopithecus boisei in Tanzania in 1959
adaptations ape and monkeys have for locomotion
grasping hands and feet that can be used to hold on to branches, long arms for swinging, tough hands for knuckle walking, tails for balance and swinging,
difference between haplorine and strepsirhines
h: dry noses, larger brains, active during the day, quadruped, semi-brachiation, post orbital bar s: moist nose, dental comb, long snout, grooming claw, vision not as stereoscopic, leaping and vertical climbing
mandibular symphysis
halves of the mandible fuse at a symphysis to form one bone
dental apes
have Y-5 molars like apes but postcranially look more like monkeys, 2.1.2.3 dental formula but other than that not typically ape like
heterodonty
having different types of teeth
ilium
hip bone
earliest homo
homo habilis, perhaps in Africa 2.4 mya, potentially two species (homo habilis and rudolfensis), new finds push date back to 2.8 mya
difference between apes and humans
humans have better motor skills, more developed brain, less body hair, more social emotions, hearing that leads to speech. chimps are stronger, slightly less developed,
artifact dating methods
involves seriation, looks at how artifacts evolve over time by examining their design and other things
Acetabulum
large socket in the pelvic bone for the head of the femur
suggested by position/ structure of eye orbits
larger eyes are more adapt to nocturnal or low light seeing, eyes on the side of the head have a lesser range of vision than eyes on the side of the head
K-T boundary
layer of iridium-rich material between rocks of the Cretaceous period and rocks of the Paleogene period that provides evidence of a meteorite impact
fused mandible
left and right sides of the mandible form one bone with no visible suture, derived condition in primates.
strepsirhine examples
lemurs, lories, aye-ayes
Hylobatidae
lesser apes