Primate Functional Morphology: Insights from Lab 6

First and last name: _____________________ ANT 203: Biological Anthropology Laboratory Exercise 6 Functional Morphology /80 marks total, worth 5% This laboratory exercise is in three parts. You need to print this laboratory exercise document, bring it to your scheduled lab section, and complete the exercises and questions using the space provided during your lab period, then hand in the completed worksheet to your TA at the end of your lab period. All labs are due and should be submitted in hard copy at the end of the scheduled lab session. Late lab assignments will not be accepted, with no exceptions. Of the 12 scheduled labs, 8 lab assignments will be graded. Students will not know which labs will be graded until the end of each lab session. Purpose: This lab is designed to introduce you to the ways in which primate adaptations are inferred from the fossil record. You will visit three different stations in groups to observe the skeletal features of non-human primates. You are welcome to talk to members of your group to work through possible answers, but should complete the lab on your own. Station 1. Sensory adaptations, /24 marks Examine these primate specimens, paying particular attention to the parts of the skull that hold the sensory apparatuses. Then, indicate the type of adaptations indicated by these features by filling out the chart and answering the questions below. /18 marks Specimen 1 Specimen 2 Specimen 3 Size of eye orbits relative to skull: small-medium or large? Nocturnal or diurnal? Comparative orientation of orbit: to the side or to the front? Predator (including a predator of insects) or prey animal? Size of snout relative to skull: large or small?

Name ___________________, ANT 203, Lab 6, page 2 More reliant on vision or olfaction? 1. How are eye orbits typically oriented for predators? What about for prey animals? /2 marks 2. How does snout size relate to which sensory modality a species is more reliant on? /2 marks 3. How does eye orbit size relate to which time of day a species is adapted to be active? /2 marks

Name ___________________, ANT 203, Lab 6, page 3 Station 2. Teeth and dietary adaptations, /36 marks Examine the teeth of each specimen. Pay particular attention to the details of the occlusal surface (the surface that comes into contact with the teeth on the opposite jaw – i.e. chewing surface). Then, describe the teeth as follows in the chart and answer the questions below, relating tooth morphology to diet and body size. /28 marks Specimen 1 Specimen 2 Specimen 3 Specimen 4 Dental formula? If mandibles and maxilla have different numbers of teeth, provide this for the maxilla. Incisors: none, long/thin or flat/spatulate (shovel-shaped)? Canines: none, long/thin, pointy/conical, or large and pointy/conical? Molar cusps: high or low? Dietary adaptation: omnivore or folivore? Likely body size: small, medium or large? Likely organism: Non-primate, strepsirhine, Old World monkey, New World monkey, or ape?

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Name ___________________, ANT 203, Lab 6, page 4 4. What are the four different types of teeth found in mammals, and what types of food are used for each? Hint: Remember that primates have several different types of teeth in order to process a wide range of foods. Animals with only one type of tooth are immediately disqualified from being classified as a primate. /4 marks 5 . If a molar has high cusps, what dietary preference would this likely indicate and why? /2 marks 6 . If a molar has low cusps, what dietary preference would this likely indicate and why? /2 marks

Name ___________________, ANT 203, Lab 6, page 5 Station 3. Cranial features and dietary adaptations, /20 marks The following cranial features also indicate something about the diet of these specimens. Compare the three skulls and answer the questions below. /15 marks Specimen 1: gorilla Specimen 2: capuchin monkey Specimen 3: howler monkey Mandible width: deep/thick or shallow/thin? Size of saggital crest: large or small? Size of zygomatic arch: large or small? Size of temporalis (chewing) muscle: large or small? Diet: folivore or frugivore? 7. Explain how the non-dental cranial features in the chart above relate to dietary preferences in the gorilla. /2 marks

Name ___________________, ANT 203, Lab 6, page 6 8. Explain how the non-dental cranial features in the chart above relate to dietary preferences in the capuchin monkey. /2 marks 9 . Explain how the non-dental cranial features in the chart above relate to dietary preferences in the howler monkey. /1 mark

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ANT 203 Lab 6

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