Primate hand features Nails, opposable thumbs, friction ridges and grasping refl

Question

Primate hand features Nails, opposable thumbs, friction ridges and grasping reflexes in young primates are anatomical features that have been selected for within the primate lineage. Your task is to explore and explain how primate hand features enhance fitness. Make sure you answer all of the following questions for full points. 1. What does the arboreal hypothesis generally suggest about the unique traits primate possess on their hand? 2 Explain how primate hand features increase fitness and give one examples. When writing about your example name the hand feature that you have chosen and explain clearly why it increase fitness in a tree environment 3. Conjecture what would happen if a primate infant did not possess your chosen primate hand features

Explanation / Answer

1. According to the arboreal theory, primates have evolved from the ancestors. According to this theory, most of the habits have come up while living in the trees. Primates developed the hands which allowed them for grasping objects. This change might have come because of leaping constantly. Also, because it required a lot of crawling actions and for reaching out to gather vegetables and fruits.

2. The primate feature that increases fitness is opposable thumbs. The thumbs are the thickest digit in the hand and could move in different directions as compared to the other digits. This has allowed the primates to grasp objects with their hands as contrasted to other animals, who require to hold objects via their mouth.

3. If a primate infant does not have opposable thumbs, they would have great difficulty in picking up things. Somehow, they could manage with practice to pick up things with the four digits, but there would be a loss in grasping power.

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