I. Primates
A. Characteristics
1. Non human primates are very intelligent
2. Give human test and they do well
3. Gorillas are gentle and peaceful and don’t eat meat but they can rip you to pieces if they get mad
4. Chimpanzees are mean very aggressive and very strong and when they snap they will literally rip your face off
5. 4 different groups of Primates
i. Prosimians ii. New World Monkeys iii. Old World Monkeys iv. Apes
B. Taxonomy: Proposed Changes
1. Name change in primate suborders—The traditional classification said there were two sub categories known as prosimii and anthropoidea. The proposed change said that the names would become strepsirrhini and haplorrhini (respectively). This would move the tarsiers.
2. Name change in Primate Suborders:
i. Traditionally: Prosimii / Anthropoidea ii. Proposed: Strepsirrhini / Haplorrhini
a. This change moves tarsiers (Under the new classification, tarsiers would now be moved to monkeys and apes due to genetic data. )
3. The original taxonomy had humans separated form apes, but if you look at the genetic information, the orangutan is more genetically different to apes than humans. A reclassification of the great apes has been proposed. Traditionally, there was pongidae and hominidae (where apes and humans are classified separately). The proposed change is that all of the great apes become classified into hominidae, and then separate them out at different subfamilies and tribes.
4. Reclassification of the Great Apes (Family Names):
i. Traditionally: Pongidae / Hominidae ii. Proposed: All Hominidae, different subfamilies and tribes
C. Primate studies
1. Descriptive: describing the variation between primates, researchers were describing the variation that they observed (1920s & 40s)
2. Observational: time period of long term observational studies, in order to observe what primate life was like
i. Jane Goodall: known for study of chimps but mainly chimp