Lecture 16: Primate Origins & Hominin Origins

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Important Announcements

Exam 3 Reminder - Monday, November 10

Honors Students Reminder

Review: Eocene Primates

Eocene: ~40-50 mya - Origin of “True” Primates

Eocene Primates: Adapids and Omomyids

“Ida”: A Well-Preserved Eocene Adapid

Late Eocene-Oligocene: 30-45 mya - Origin of Anthropoids

African Origin of Anthropoids

Fayum, Egypt - Fossil Site

Fayum Anthropoid: Aegyptopithecus

Origins of New World Monkeys (Platyrrhines)

How Did Platyrrhines Get to South America?

Platyrrhine Phylogeny

The Rafting Hypothesis

Lemurs Reaching Madagascar

How Did Lemurs Reach Madagascar from Mainland Africa?

Subfossil Lemurs

Miocene: 5-23 mya - “Planet of the Apes”

Environmental Context

Miocene Ape Distribution

Origin and Evolution of the Apes

How to Tell Apes from Monkeys

The Earliest Apes: Proconsul

Middle Miocene Ape Evolution (15-10 Ma)

Sivapithecus - Middle Miocene Ape from Asia

Pierolapithecus catalaunicus - Middle Miocene Ape

Late Miocene Ape Evolution

The Gap in Knowledge

Genetic Data Fills Gap

Candidate Fossils

Hominin Origins

What is a Hominin?

Hominin Phylogeny Hypothesis

What Makes Us Human?

Human Characteristics Distinct from Nonhuman Apes

Types of Bipedalism

Three Levels of Bipedal Locomotion

Bipedalism Has Evolved Multiple Times

Anatomical Features of Bipedalism

Cranial Features: Foramen Magnum Position

Spine: Lumbar Lordosis

Pelvis: Short and Stout

Pelvis: Abductor Muscles

Knees: Bicondylar Angle

Feet: Nongrasping Big Toe and Arches

Why Bipedalism?

Multiple Hypotheses for Evolution of Bipedalism

Bipedalism is Efficient

Connections to Course Themes

Building on Previous Lectures

Looking Forward

Key Takeaways

Primate Origins Review (Part 1)

Anthropoid Origins (Part 2)

Platyrrhine and Lemur Dispersal (Part 3)

Miocene Apes (Part 4)

Hominin Origins (Part 5)

Bipedal Anatomy (Part 6)

Why Bipedalism Evolved (Part 7)