d

2. Overview
 Evolution of Primates
 Evolution of Hominids
 Focus on Homo

3. Early Primates
 Prosimians (~58mya)
 Monkeys (35mya)
 Apes (23mya)
 Hominids (~6mya)

4. Eosimias
 The First Primate
 Comparison with
tree shrew

5. Primate Characteristics
 What is the major selective
pressure associated with life in
the trees?
 How are primates adapted to this
life?

6. Primate Hands

7. Mobile Limbs
 Most primates have flat nails as well as
sensitive pads on the undersides of fingers
and toes.
 Many also have both an opposable big toe
and thumb.
 Mobile limbs and clawless opposable digits
allow primates to freely grasp and release
tree limbs.

9. ANTHROPOIDS
2. Anthropoids = monkeys + apes + man
a. Monkeys:
• Old world monkeys
• New world monkeys
New World
Monkey:
Flat face
Wide nostrils
Prehensile tail
Old World
Monkey:
Long snout
Close nostrils
Non-prehensile
tail

10. Proconsul- Ancestor to Hominoids?

11. Hominids
 Bipedal primates.

12. To be Human
 standard primate characteristics
 upright, bipedal posture
 much expanded brain
 well defined sexual dimorphism
 hidden estrus
 altered female sexual response
 extended childhood
 language
 society
 culture

13. Homo erectus, Australopithecus,& Human

14. “Lucy” Australopithecus afarensis
An Example of Mosaic Evolution

15. A. afarensis
A. africanus
A. boisei
A. robustus

16. Human Ancestors

17. Human Evolution

18. Australopithecus africanus
 2.8 million years ago
 Cranial capacity 460 cc

19. Genus Homo

20. Homo habilis
Artist’s
representation
of a Homo
habilis band
as it might
have existed
two million
years ago.
Brain~600cc
“Handy Man”
Olduwan tools
Speech?

21. Homo erectus
 “Upright Man”
 Larger brain than H. habilis
 Migrated
 Acheulean tools
 More advanced culture?

22. Homo erectus

23. Homo erectus

24. Neanderthals
 Neanderthal (H. neanderthalensis)
skeletons were first discovered in
Germany’s Neander Valley.
 Skeletons date back 200,000 years.

25. Neanderthal Man

26. Homo sapiens
 Archaic – 100,000 to
35,000 years BP
 Sometimes called Homo
sapiens and Homo sapiens
neanderthalensis
 Modern – 35,000 years
BP to present
 Anatomically modern
 Sometimes called Homo
sapiens sapiens

27. Cro-Magnons
 Oldest fossils to be designated H. sapiens.
 Modern humans who entered Asia and
Europe from Africa 100,000 years ago.
 Aurignacian tools.
 Accomplished hunters.
 Language.

28. Cro-Magnon Man
 Cro-Magnon
humans
 1,600 cc cranial
capacity
 Not a different
species, just old
Homo sapiens
from Europe
Artist’s reconstruction of a Cro-Magnon man