| analogies | Similarities arising as a result of similar selective forces; traits produced by convergent evolution.
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| anthropoids | Members of Anthropoidea, one of the two suborders of primates; monkeys, apes, and humans are anthropoids.
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| arboreal | Tree-dwelling; arboreal primates include gibbons, New World monkeys, and many Old World monkeys.
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| behavioral ecology | Study of the evolutionary basis of social behavior.
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| bipedal | Two-footed; upright bipedalism is the characteristic human mode of locomotion.
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| brachiation | Under-the-branch swinging; characteristic of gibbons, siamangs, and some New World monkeys.
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| convergent evolution | Independent operation of similar selective forces; the process by which analogies are produced.
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| estrus | Period of maximum sexual receptivity in female baboons, chimpanzees, and other primates, signaled by vaginal area swelling and coloration.
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| gibbons | The smallest apes, natives of Asia; arboreal.
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| hominids | Members of the zoological family that includes fossil and living humans; many scientists now include chimpanzees and gorillas in this family.
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| hominoids | Members of the superfamily including humans and all the apes.
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| homologies | Traits that organisms have jointly inherited from a common ancestor.
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| opposable thumb | A thumb that can touch all the other fingers.
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| primatology | The study of fossil and living apes, monkeys, and prosimians, including their behavior and social life.
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| prosimians | The primate suborder that includes lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers.
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| sexual dimorphism | Marked differences in male and female anatomy and temperament.
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| taxonomy | Classification scheme; assignment to categories (taxa; singular, taxon).
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| terrestrial | Ground-dwelling; baboons, macaques, and humans are terrestrial primates; gorillas spend most of their time on the ground.
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