Explain Why Biological Anthropologists Study Nonhuman Primates
573 Words3 Pages
1. Why are biological anthrpologists interested in studying nonhuman primates? Why the interest in the social behavior and biology/genetics of nonhuman primates? Answer these questions using specific examples found in both the textbook and the online materials.
Biological anthropologists study nonhuman primates as a result of the significant indications they present us in regard to our human nature. Not only this, but nonhuman primates provide us with suggestions about the nature of the species that perhaps may have been at hand in the breeding of human beings. The first reason biological anthropologists are interested in studying nonhuman primates is because they are the mammals that we are most closely associated with. By studying their social behaviors, we are able to get a decent idea of what (according to the theory of evolution) our ancestors were like and how our existence came to be.
The second reason is because anthropologists have a strong desire to know the effects over our primate ancestors following the human lineage spit from the remaining primate order. In order to determine these effects, anthropologists have to examine the entire evolutionary process. Lastly, anthropologists study these primates because they find them to be interesting creatures. The threat of extinction is constantly hovering over the heads of…show more content… However, nonhuman primates never did anything to purposefully hurt their own environment. To them, survival is their leading motive. The question is, what event occurred to cause humans to disregard the safety and wellbeing of their fellow primates? I imagine the answer could only lay in the fact that given all our accumulated knowledge, we have overlooked that should have always mattered the most, the environment that sustains humanity, primates and all of