ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 focused on the evolution of primates from the primate stem group, hypothesized to have existed some 63 myr ago, to the last split in the primate tree, between pongids and hominids, at 7 to 6 myr ago. It was necessary to introduce the order Primates before discussing the evolution of primates. That brief introduction discussed primates’ global distribution (see Figure 5.3), ecological context, vital statistics, locomotion (from vertical leaping to quadrupedalism), variable diets, activity patterns (ranging from diurnal to nocturnal), social organization (from pairs to huge groups), and political organization (from single-level local groups to three levels). The major lesson from that discussion is that primates vary considerably by taxonomy, location, anatomy, morphology, and behavior. Because primates inhabit every type of tropical environment, including rainforest, woodland, shrubbed savanna, and semi-desert, and temperate and subalpine areas as well, they show considerable variation in all aspects of their lives, including the food they eat, the reproductive strategies they engage in, and many other basic behaviors.
