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"I confess freely to you,
I could never look long upon a monkey,
without very mortifying reflections."
William Congreve, 1695 |
Modern humans represent one of roughly 200 primate species, out of
approximately one million (by conservative estimates) extant animals
species. To understand ourselves, and our evolutionary history, it is
essential that we examine mankind not only as members of the species sapiens,
but as animals, chordates, vertebrates, gnathostomes, tetrapods,
mammals and primates. Given the limited time in this course, we will
only be able to touch lightly upon the broader context as we
necessarily focus most closely on the other members of our own Order,
the Primates. As with the rest of this website, the information that
follows is solely for those who are interesting in exploring further.
The illustrations of skeletal materials and self-tests are presented in
that light and only as study aids.
The Diversity of Life:
The following sites will give you a sense of the biological
diversity of life forms on this planet and perspective on where humans
fit in that diversity.
A cladistic tree of life. Click on a domain such as Eukaryota and explore!
The Tree of Life web project
Want to know more about which animals are endangered?
This is the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre
. You can explore by species as well as by habitat and location.
Interested in wildlife conservation? The Wildlife Trust is an excellent source for information. It is also a
member of the CERC consortium.
The Primates
General Information
Daniele Formenti's primatology site is one of the most comprehensive lists of sites presented in an accessible format.
Primate Info Net is the site for National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin.
The Living Links site at the Yerkes Primate Research Center may also be of interest.
NetVet is an excellent information source on primates and links to numerous primate and human evolution sites.
 
Images & Vocalizations
The Primate Gallery Archive is a wonderful site for
images of primates across the order.
African primates at home with both sites and sounds.
Thomas Geissmann's Gibbon Research Lab site provides a wonderful opportunity to listen
to gibbon vocalizations. Don't miss the group sing-along
at the Kunming Zoo, China (just click on "Sound Gallery" and then "Hoolock hoolock "). It begins with the subadult male "Jian-Jian" and the adult female "Gui-Gui" (singing in adjacent cages), and then several
other immature hoolocks join in.
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Mammals Under the Skin, or Fun with Skeletons |
The California Academy of Science
had a wonderful exhibit on skulls. The exhibition is now closed but the
website continues and it's great for comparisons. Learn about skull
composition, structure and function. Examine the skulls of a walrus, a
giraffe, a cassowary and a slow loris. You can even rotate some of the
skulls for a 360-degree view.
Then, have some fun as you try to identify the animals
by their skulls!
The American Medical Association's Atlas of the Human Body
is a good source for images and information about the modern human form.
Study Tools
Much of our in-class analysis of non-human primates will focus on
morphological/behavioral similarities and differences that can help to
provide insights into our own origins. Among the adaptations that we
will study are the brain and special senses, feeding systems and
locomotor systems.
Have you seen the human skull? View images of
frontal and lateral perspectives
illustrating the major bones (again, you are not expected to know the names of these bones, this is
intended for those who are interested).
A review of the major primate trends
Can you think of how these might be useful adaptations for arboreal
living, life as a visual predator or a combination of the two?
Remember, despite the temptation, we try not to take a Panglossian
perspective; not every trait can or should be explained by such
adaptations.
Diet and dentition
We will be talking a good deal about primate diet and dentition in class. It appears that the subject fascinates even the New York Times.
For fun and for review, click on the animals below to see and compare their dentition.
 
Limbs and locomotion
Primates move in many ways but habitual bipedalism is a hallmark of
humans. As such, anatomical indications of this type of locomotion will
be vital clues for us when we turn to the fossil record. Examine the
human skeleton below to see how many traits you can discern that help
to distinguish the gait of a habitual biped. It's easiest if you start
at the head and work your way down.
Once you have spent some time with this, you can click here
to see how many features you were able to identify.
Movies
The Good
Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey (1988)
Directed by Michael Apted
Tagline: In a land of beauty, wonder and danger, she would follow a dream, fall in love and risk her life to save
the mountain gorillas from extinction.
Starring Sigourney Weaver
The Guilty Pleasures
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
The original that started it all!
Tagline: Mothered by an ape--He knew only the law of the jungle--to seize what he wanted!
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan
The remake:
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
The first 10 minutes of gorilla scenes are great, stop there.
Directed by Hugh Hudson
Starring Christopher Lambert and Andie MacDowell (with Glen Close's voice)
King Kong
Directed by Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack
Tagline: The Most Awesome Thriller Of All Time.
Plot Outline: An expedition team go to a tropical island and discover a colossal giant gorilla
who takes a shine to their female blonde companion.
Starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Kong
Peter Jackson plans a remake for 2005
starring Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody and Jack Black.
With all due respect to the master of Lord of the Rings, stick with Fay Wray and you won't be sorry.
Don't even think about the 1976 remake with Jessica Lange!
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
A timeless story of a girl and her gorilla.
Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack
Tagline: Striking! Startling! Staggering!
Plot Summary: Jill Young has brought up her pet gorilla since she was a child.
And the PC remake:
Mighty Joe Young (1998)
Directed by Ron Underwood
Tagline: Survival is an instinct.
Plot Outline: After Mighty Joe Young is brought to America for safety
reasons, he escapes and rampages through Hollywood, spurred by
tormentors out for revenge.
Starring Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron
George of the Jungle
(1997) O.k., all of the gorillas are fake but since they tend to be
smarter than the humans, we can put this in the pro-ape category.
Directed by Sam Weisman
Plot Summary: Baby George got into a plane crash in a jungle, stayed alive and was adopted by a wise ape.
Starring Brendan Fraser and Leslie Mann
The Ugly
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)
Directed by John Derek
Starring Bo Derek. Bo in the jungle, complete with an Indonesian orangutan in the heart of Africa!
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