Question

(Physical Anthropology)

1) Describe the (3) main behavioral tendencies of primates

2) (3) benefits to having generalized dentition and dietary plasticity

3) Explain in biological and behavioral terms why primates have long parental investment periods compared to other animals.

Answer 1

Ans 1: Primates include lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, and apes. They are the group of species that is well known for being social, smart, and very adept at using their hands. The important behavioral tendencies of primates are

• Some non-human primates occasionally walk upright on two legs.
• Some non-human primates occasionally use tools.
• Most non-human primates live in social groups.
• Some non-human primates can communicate using symbols.

Ans 2:

Generalized Dentition is an ancestral trait of primates, refers to fact that primates’ teeth differ in size and shape. Primates are generally omnivorous and this is reflected in their generalized dentition. Most primates have four types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars and molars.

Benefits

• It helps in effective preying
• It helps in grooming activity.
• It helps in feeding activity.

Dietary Plasticity is the flexibility in adapting to a given environment and can be conferred as a form of parental investment, the time and energy parents expend for their offspring's benefit.

Benefits

• Wide variety food can be eaten.
• In absence of one kind of food, the other food source can be utilized.
• Time spent in finding specific food is decreased

Ans 3: Parental investment is any parental expenditure that benefits offspring. Parental investment may be performed by both males and females, females alone or males alone. The benefits of parental investment to the offspring are large and are associated with the effects on condition, growth, survival, and ultimately on reproductive success of the offspring. Generally, lower concentrations of testosterone and higher concentrations of oxytocin are associated with greater paternal responsiveness. Hormonal changes prior to the birth appear to be important in preparation for fatherhood and changes after the birth are related to how much time fathers spend with offspring and whether they provide effective care. Prolactin may facilitate approach and the initiation of infant care, and in some biparental non-human primates, it affects body mass regulation. Glucocorticoids are involved in coordinating reproductive and parental behavior between mates.