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8.5: Extant and Fossil Catarrhine Morphology

  • Page ID
    138538
    • Zana R. Sims and Stephanie L. Canington
    • Explorations

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    A stylized, monochrome geometric representation of a monkey, posed with one arm raised.
    Tracing of Aegyptopithecus cranium. Tracing of Aegyptopithecus, a derived work by Zana Sims and Stephanie Canington is under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License. [Redrawn from Fossil of Aegyptopithecus, by Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aegyptopithecus_zeuxis_paris.jpg#file ].
    • Format: In-person and online
    • Authors: Zana R. Sims and Stephanie L. Canington
    • Time needed: 60 minutes

    Learning Objectives

    • Identify and describe some features of extant catarrhine morphology
    • Compare cercopithecoid and hominoid traits
    • Form hypotheses regarding ancestral traits of cercopithecoids and catarrhines
    • Test hypotheses using fossil primate material

    Supplies Needed

    • Three extant primate skulls (bone or cast), 3D models, or photographs from multiple views of: Papio (one male, one female) and Pan (any)
    • Two fossil primate skull casts, 3D models, or photographs from multiple views of: Victoriapithecus and Aegyptopithecus

    Readings

    • Perry, Jonathan and Stephanie Canington. 2019. Chapter 8: Primate Evolution. Explorations.
    • Organ, Jason and Jessica Byram. 2019. Chapter 17: Osteology. Explorations.

    Introduction

    This lab allows students to familiarize themselves with characteristic features of extant catarrhines and to use this knowledge to analyze fossil catarrhine material from the Miocene and Oligocene. The instructor may choose to assign this lab as an individual or paired activity. Prior to starting this activity, the instructors should ensure student familiarity with general primate traits, or provide additional resources to assist students with their identification (e.g. molar cusp patterns, sexual dimorphism, primate diet).

    Steps

    1. Instructors should assemble all material prior to the start of this lab. Be sure to provide labels for extant material with genus and sex (e.g. Papio, male). If the lab will be performed virtually, include website links to 3D models or photographs on the worksheet.

    Materials Required:

    • Section 1: Student worksheet, textbook chapter, and
      • Online Sources: 3D tooth models; Additional Material 2
      • In-person Material: Papio and Pan skulls or dental casts
    • Section 2: Student worksheet, textbook chapter, and
      • Online Sources: Figure 2; Additional Material 1
      • In-person Material: Papio skulls or skull casts
    • Section 3: Student worksheet
    • Section 4: Student worksheet, textbook chapter and
      • Online Sources: Photographs of Victoriapithecus and Aegyptopithecus publications. See References for details
      • In-person Material: Victoriapithecus and Aegyptopithecus skull casts
    1. This lab is subdivided into four sections. Students should first complete the activities for the extant material and hypothesis writing (sections 1-3) before moving on to examining the fossil material.
    • Section 2: Students use the provided material to compare the male and female crania of Papio, guided by questions from the worksheet.
    • Section 3: Based on the previous sections, students form hypotheses about the ancestral traits of cercopithecoids and then the ancestral traits of all catarrhines.
    • Section 4: Students will use the provided material to compare their hypotheses to the fossils of Victoriapithecus and Aegyptopithecus.

    Conclusion

    After completing this lab, students should be able to identify key features of catarrhine primates, including distinguishing between cercopithecoids and hominoids. Students should also have a sense of how knowledge about extant taxa can be applied to identify and interpret fossil primates.

    • To wrap-up the lab, instructors should ask students to discuss their findings from the comparison of Papio and Pan. What defines cercopithecoids? What defines hominoids? What do they share?
    • Instructors should initiate a discussion about the role of sexual dimorphism in primate features and in fossil primate interpretations.
    • Finally, instructors should ask students to share the hypotheses they created in Section 3 for the ancestor of cercopithecoids like Papio, and the common ancestor of all catarrhines including Papio and Pan. Does the fossil Victoriapithecus have any features you described in your hypothesis for the ancestor of the cercopithecoid Papio? Does the fossil Aegyptopithecus have any features you described in your hypothesis for the common ancestor of Papio and Pan? Instructors can use this opportunity to introduce the concepts of primitive and derived traits, cladistics, primate phylogenetics, or to discuss the complex process of fossil recovery and interpretation.

    Adapting for Online Learning

    If this is an in-person lab, rank how adaptable to online learning it is (mark in bold): Easy to adapt

    To adapt this lab for online learning, use 3D images, models, or photographs of the extant and fossil primates. See Supplemental E-Materials for instructions regarding access and links.

    For Further Exploration

    References

    1. Benefit, Brenda R. and Monte L. McCrossin. 1997. "Earliest known Old World monkey skull." Nature 388 (6640): 368-371. https://doi.org/10.1038/41078.
    2. Simons, Elwyn L., Erik R. Seiffert, Timothy M. Ryan, and Yousry Attia. 2007. "A remarkable female cranium of the early Oligocene anthropoid Aegyptopithecus zeuxis (Catarrhini, Propliopithecidae)." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(21): 8731-8736. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0703129104.

    This page titled 8.5: Extant and Fossil Catarrhine Morphology was last modified on Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:42:50 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Zana R. Sims and Stephanie L. Canington via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.