Question

List four characteristics that are representative of most primates and lead paleoanthropology to conclude that primates share a common ancestry

Answer 1

Answer:

- prehensile hands and feet

- five digits and opposable thumbs

- flexible and limber shoulders and hips

- big and complex brains

Explanation:

The primates are the most intelligent animals collectively, and they include the most intelligent animal on the planet, the human. All of them share some common characteristics that lead the paleoanthropology to conclude that they share a common ancestor. Most of them have prehensile hands and feet, which is a rare among other groups of animals. Almost all of them have five digits on their hands and feet, possessing opposible thumbs as well, enabling them to grab things. The shoulders and hips are also much different than the other animals, being much more flexible and limber. The most important characteristic maybe is their brain, as it is abnormally large and complex when compared with other animals of the same sizes. Their complex brains enable them to perform numerous things that other animals can't even imagine, and eventually that large brain helped in creating the most intelligent animal on the planet, the human.

Answer 2

Answer:

A. Opposable thumbs

B. Depth perception

C. Maternal care

D. Large brains

Explanation:

Opposable thumbs --> Primates have opposable thumbs and refined hand and foot development . An opposable thumb is able to be moved opposite the fingers of the same hand in order to better grasp objects. This is an adaption for an arboreal, or tree-dwelling, lifestyle because it helps the primates have strong grips on the branches.  Raccoons, dogs, and other non-primate mammals do not have opposable thumbs. This means they cannot move the thumb opposite the fingers of the same hand to grasp things tightly. This is why your dog would have trouble holding and manipulating a small object like a door key with his paws.

Depth perception --> Primates have an increased reliance on sight and decreased reliance on smell, compared to other mammals.  The eyes are large and forward facing, which provides better depth perception. The nostrils are smaller in relation to the face than in many other mammals.

Maternal care --> Primates have a smaller litter size, longer gestation, and extended period of juvenile growth compared to other mammals.  Most primates have one or two offspring at a time. They also exhibit increased periods of maternal care for their young compared to that of other animals.

Large brains --> Primates have relatively large brains. Primates have larger brains, relative to their body size, than most other mammals.