Primate Evolution

Front 1

About how old is the Earth believed to be?

Back 1

4.5 billion years

Front 2

What are the three eras in which vertebraic life existed?

Back 2

Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic

Front 3

Describe the Paleozoic Era.

Back 3

Adaptive radiation of reptiles

Front 4

Describe the Mesozoic Era.

Back 4

Three epochs - Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Mammals arrived at the end of the Mesozoic era.

Front 5

What are the two periods of the Cenozoic era?

Back 5

Tertiary and Quaternary

Front 6

What are the five epochs of the Tertiary period?

Back 6

Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene

Front 7

During which epoch did the anthropoid suborder develop?

Back 7

Eocene

Front 8

What are the two epochs of the Quaternary period?

Back 8

Pleistocene and Holocene

Front 9

When did the earliest primates appear?

Back 9

Paleocene epoch of Cenozoic era

Front 10

What are the absolute dating methods?

Back 10

Potassium Argon, Argon-Argon, Carbon-14, Thermoluminescence, and electron-spin resonance

Front 11

In which ways did early anthropoids differ from prosimians?

Back 11

Eyes rotated forward, fully enclosed eye socket, dry nose separate from upper lip, molar cusps, shorter snout

Front 12

Why are teeth so useful for paleontologists?

Back 12

1) Enable phylogenetic reconstruction
2) Reveal life history/development patterns
3) Tell a lot about diet

Front 13

What are the three hypotheses explaining the origin of primates?

Back 13

1) Arboreal hypothesis
2) Visual predation hypothesis
3) Mixed diet hypothesis

Front 14

During which epoch did anthropoids become the most prevalent type of primate?

Back 14

Oligocene

Front 15

What kind of primates were most prevalent during the Eocene?

Back 15

Prosimians

Front 16

Where do most specimens of early anthropoids come from?

Back 16

Fayum, Egypt

Front 17

When did the first New World monkeys begin to appear?

Back 17

oligocene

Front 18

Which epoch was the "age of the apes?"

Back 18

Miocene

Front 19

How did the climate change during the Miocene?

Back 19

Temperatures fell, Africa became drier and more seasonal, tropical forests shrank, woodlands expanded

Front 20

To what kind of habitat did the earliest hominins become adapted to?

Back 20

Savanna

Front 21

What are the derived characteristics of modern humans?

Back 21

Habitual bipedalism, dentition, large brains, slow development, elaborate culture

Front 22

What is unique about the dentition of modern humans?

Back 22

Parabolic tooth arcade, thick enamel, small canines, large molars

Front 23

Define hominins.

Back 23

Humans and their direct ancestors

Front 24

Describe mosaic evolution

Back 24

Early hominins still had some ape-like features; not all derived features present

Front 25

When did hominins branch off from the apes?

Back 25

Late Miocene

Front 26

Which three genera of hominis does Wood's taxonomy recognize?

Back 26

Australopithecus, Parathropus, and Kenyanthropus