M. EARLY HOMINID EVOLUTION

PHYLOGENY OF PROSIMIANS & ANTHROPOIDS LEMURS, LORISES, POTTOS TARSIERS NEW WORLD MONKEYS OLD WORLD MONKEYS GIBBONS ORANGUTANS GORILLAS CHIMPANZEES BONOBOS HUMANS 50 40 30 20 10 0 MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO

The bonobo looks a lot like a chimpanzee, but not quite……

Sometimes, bonobos look rather human………

potto loris tarsier

Old World monkey New World monkey Gibbon

Proconsul heseloni Distribution of species Eastern Africa Date of specimen About 18 mya Cranial capacity Smaller than chimpanzee, about 320cc

CHANGES in PRIMATES WHERE? East Africa WHEN? 6 my BP WHY? Habitat change

CONDITIONS in AFRICA -warm, wet -land is covered in forest -much of Africa then was like Congo is now

PRIMATES PRESENT THEN -monkeys living in trees -apes living in trees or on the ground under the trees -lots of food, lots of hiding places, BUT lots of competition

CHANGING CONDITIONS -6 my BP, East Africa became drier -forests began to shrink -food ran short and some primates had to leave the forest or starve

OPEN LAND PRIMATES eg. modern baboons -live in groups -search for food by day -return to trees for safety at night