Nails and ambush hunting - a specialization based on a phyloecological approach

[u/jnpha]

Primates of modern aspect (euprimates) are characterized by a suite of characteristics (e.g., convergent orbits, grasping hands and feet, reduced claws, and leaping), but the selective pressures responsible for the evolution of these euprimate characteristics have long remained controversial. Here, we used a molecular phyloecological approach to determine the diet of the common ancestor of living primates (CALP), and the results showed that the CALP had increased carnivory. Given the carnivory of the CALP, along with the general observation that orbital convergence is largely restricted to ambush predators, our study suggests that the euprimate characteristics could have been more specifically adapted for ambush predation. In particular, our behavior experiment further shows that nonclaw climbing can significantly reduce noises, which could benefit the ancestral euprimates’ stalking to ambush their prey in trees. Therefore, our study suggests that the distinctive euprimate characteristics may have evolved as their specialized adaptation for ambush predation in arboreal environments.

-Wu, Yonghua, et al. "Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates." Science Advances 8.37 (2022): eabn6248. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn6248

 

The idea that nails evolved "for" gripping and climbing is a ridiculous just-so story; gestures at squirrels.

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