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7: Primate Evolution

  • Page ID
    277433
    • Beth Shook

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    Learning Objectives
    • Describe the characteristics of specific fossil primates
    • Compare miocene ape fossils
    • Identify radiation patterns in the fossil record
    • Explain cladistic relationships
    • Hypothesize about relationships between fossil primates and contemporary apes

    • 7.1: The Emergence of Modern Primate Groups
      This chapter explores the evolutionary history and origins of crown strepsirrhines, anthropoids, and platyrrhines. Crown strepsirrhines emerged in Afro-Arabia during the Eocene and Oligocene, with fossil evidence linking them to modern species. Various hypotheses explain anthropoid origins, supported by diverse fossils from the Fayum Basin. Early platyrrhines likely arrived in South America from Africa, undergoing rapid diversification with notable feeding adaptations.
    • 7.2: Fossil Primates
      This page covers the evolution of primates from the Paleocene to the Miocene, focusing on significant fossils like plesiadapiforms, Aegyptopithecus, and Proconsul. It examines the classification debates surrounding plesiadapiforms' relationship to true primates, along with the adaptive traits of adapoids and omomyoids in the Eocene. Aegyptopithecus's relevance in the Oligocene is addressed, while Miocene fossils highlight the diversity and adaptations of apes.


    This page titled 7: Primate Evolution is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Beth Shook via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.