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Early Primates from the Paleocene Through Miocene

This lab exam focuses on early primates, their evolution, and their adaptations to changing environments. Study fossils, time scales, and plate tectonics to understand the origins of primates. Explore Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, and Miocene primate species and their characteristics.

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Early Primates from the Paleocene Through Miocene

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  1. Early Primates from the Paleocene Through Miocene Lab 12

  2. Exam’s • Not so good….. • Here is your exam, take it home and correct the mutilple choice mistakes and I will give you half credit • Attach old/new scantron with the exam copy • Only Questions 1-35 • DUE NEXT CLASS!

  3. Intro • By studying early primates, we understand human and primate evolution • We look at fossils (former living things that have organic material replaced by sediment)

  4. Time Scales • Time scale chart on page 280. I don’t test on time periods, but this is a good reference • Plate Tectonics: plates of crust under the earth’s surface that move around through continental drift • This and the paleoclimate changed the earth through time, and changed the environments and adaptations of living things

  5. Primate Beginnings: Paleocene • 66-55 mya • Earliest primates from N America • N America, Europe and Asia were joined into Laurasia • Africa, S America and Antarctica was Gondwanaland • Climate was warm and humid: tropical rainforests

  6. Primate Beginnings: Paleocene • Primates branched out from mammalian tree 60+ mya • Plesiadapiforms were early mammals with primate features (molars, arboreal adaptations) • 75 species • Table 12.2 compares these to modern primates • Probably went extinct because of competition with rodents

  7. “True” Primates of Eocene • 56-34 mya • Drastic climate change as N America split from Europe • Colder climates • 200 primate species • Adapidae • Omomyoidae

  8. Ancestors • Adapoids: Ancestors of strepsirhines (lemurs, lorises…) • Omomyoids: Ancestors of haplorhines (but very much like tarsier) • Other ancestors on page 282

  9. Oligocene Primates • 34-23 mya • Most Eocene primates went extinct when the temperatures dropped again • Not many fossils, except from Fayum Depression • in Oligocene, 2 important fossils: Parapithecidae and Propliopithecidae

  10. 2 Fossils • Parapithecidae: anthropoid, similar to NW monkeys, ancestors of platyrrhines • Apidium • 2-1-3-3 • Propliopithecidae: early catarrhine, ancestor to cercopithecoids and hominoids • Aegyptopithecus • **Y-5 molar pattern • Dental ape

  11. Miocene Hominoids • 53-23 mya • warming period • First apes, arboreal • Ape-like head and body with ape and monkey features

  12. Miocene Hominoids • African forms: • Proconsul • When temperatures dropped and ice caps got bigger, land bridges formed and apes migrated to Europe and Asia

  13. Miocene Hominoids • Asian forms: • Sivapithecus: in lab you will determine who this is an ancestor to • Gigantopithecus: largest primate ever to have lived; possibly co-existed with humans

  14. Assignment • Lab 12.1 All • Self-Test 12.1 on own • One Step Further 12.1

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