Why do you think it is important to study non-human primates in physical anthropology?
Non-human primates help us to get an idea about the nature of human beings and how human beings came to existence. Also, studying non-human primates will give us a deeper understanding as to whether we have similar characteristics since they are our close relatives. This is more important if we compare with other primates. This is because there hasn’t been enough time for human beings and non-primates to evolve the differences that do exist currently. It is important to study non-human primates because they are relatively similar to human beings than other animals. This also teaches us on the selection factors that might have affected our early ancestors.
What can it teach us about our evolutionary past?
The study of non-human primates will tell us more on the many features of non-human primate biology and behavior. The information we receive from the non-human primates’ history will help us to correctly understand the human features and characteristics. It is important also that we get to learn our own phylogeny through the study of non-human primates. It explains the process of the events that took place from our early ancestors to the current human beings.
What do we as humans stand to lose from the extinction of primate species, many of which in fact are on the endangered list?
When we have a diverse species, it ensures that there exists resilience in the ecosystem. This will give those in the ecosystem to withstand any pressure within the environment. We as human beings also stand to lose our close relatives. We also stand to lose because an extinction of one species leads to the extinction of the other. And since we need each other to survive, we as human beings stand to lose. The loss of some species along the food chain affects other species directly since they depend on the other for food. This will have a direct impact on human beings since in one way or another we are in that food chain.
