| Start Date: | 12/16/2014 | Start Time: | 3:30 PM |
| End Date: | 12/16/2014 | End Time: | 5:00 PM |
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Event Description
James Higham, PhD, New York University, Department of Anthropology
Explaining Primate Appearance: A Sensory Ecology Approach
Unlike birds, the mammals are generally a dull looking class of animals, with most species covered all over in cryptic grey, brown and black fur coats. But not the Primates. Our own lineage has evolved an extraordinarily colorful diversity of appearances, from plain but bright red faces, to species exhibiting intricately patterned faces of colorful eyebrow patches, nose spots, mouth patches, ear tufts, and more. Here, I describe our work aimed at unraveling the evolution of this diversity, presenting comparative analyses of whole primate clades combined with species-specific data from our field sites. The evolution of the appearance of the Primate order is complex, with species experiencing multiple and sometimes conflicting selective pressures, such as the need to be both cryptic to predators and conspicuous to conspecifics. Most of all, it is an extraordinary story of the co-evolution of physical appearance and sensory systems, and represents a stunning example of the power and grandeur of evolutionary adaptation.
For more information, visit: nyuprimatology.com/#home
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Location:
Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, Room 104
3245 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 |
Special Features:
Free Food |
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