2. Scientists organize primates into two suborders called the Strepsirrhini and Haplorrhini. A variety of the primates that are in the suborder Strepsirrhini are nocturnal and they have an abundance of adaptations to living in the dark, including a good sense of smell, big eyes, and free- moving ears. In contradiction, in the Haplorrhini, certain attributes relevant to increased complication of behavior, …show more content…
including large brains and longer life spans, are the most fully developed. Also, the strepsirrhine primates are separated into two infraorder called Lemuriformes and Lorisiformes while the Haplorrhini has three infraorders called Tarsiiformes, Platyrrhini, and Catarrhini.
3. Different varieties within the primate system helps give an understanding on how natural selection shapes attitude. Since behavior leaves a small amount of evidence in the fossil record, the provisional process provides one of the only objective means of testing hypotheses about the lives of our hominin ancestors. For example, the observation that there are substantial differences in male and female body size, a phenomenon called sexual dimorphism, in species that form non-pair-bonded groups suggests that highly dimorphic hominins in the past were not pair bonded. Chimps, for example, have a slight sexual dimorphism. Also, chimpanzees are likely to be more aggressive during sexual intercourse than bonobos because of their state of nature or behaviors that they have adapted to.
2 New Information:
1. Chimps live in social groups where there is more than one adult male, more than one adult female, offspring, and it is more likely that the males prevail. Bonobos live in secluded jungle areas and because of that, chimps are more well-known than bonobos. Also, similar to chimps, bonobos live in large social groups where there is more than one adult male, adult female, offspring, and it is more likely that the females dominate in these communities.
2. A homologous trait is when two or more different species share a common ancestor. Analogous traits like a cats’ hind leg and a humans’ leg are analogous due to their walking or jumping structures. Their structure and function have developed by different directions or adaptations from a cat ancestor who could have walked.
1 Discussion Question: Why is it harder for females to mate with males if the species is dimorphic? In polygamous species, males face a lot of competition for access to mates.
Larger body size is one of several traits that can offer a selective advantage and thus can get passed on to future offspring of successful males. The dimorphism is a result of mating pressure. Most primates are sexually dimorphic for different biological characteristics, such as body size, canine tooth size, craniofacial structure, skeletal dimensions, pelage color, and markings and vocalization. However, such sex differences are primarily limited to the anthropoid primates; most of the strepsirrhine primates (lemurs and lorises) and tarsiers are monomorphic. Also, differential parental investment between the sexes accounts for female mate choice. The number of offspring produced by female primates is often limited due to the limited amount of eggs she has so, females choose their mates that possess certain desirable
traits.