Language Post

Part1: Engage in a conversation for 15 minutes where you are not allowed to use any version of a symbolic language.

            I decided to try the non-verbal experiment on  my husband two year old niece, well I was babysitting. I did not tell my husband or niece about the experiment beforehand.  I found the non-verbal experiment to be fairly easy because both my husband and niece actually understood what I was trying to communicate. Ironically, my niece seemed to understand more of what I was trying to communicate  than my husband. My niece caught on very quickly and actually starting motioning for things along with me. My husband seemed to be confused  with my motions at first and kept asking me what I was doing, but eventually he was able to figured it out.

            If this experiment were to actually take place with two different cultures I suppose the culture that can communicate the simplest would be able to get more ideas conveyed to more groups of people. I also suppose the speaking culture may feel as though the culture that does not use symbolic language is more primate or less knowledgeable.  In our culture, there are individuals who have difficulty communicating with spoken language such as the deaf. As a culture we accept American Sign Language as a valid form of communication, which can be taught to anyone who wants  to learn another way to communicate.  

Part2: Spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., no hand signals, no vocal intonation, no head, facial, or body movements.

            For the second part of the experiment I decided to have a conversation with my mother and sister. I had not see either my mom or sister in about 3 months which meant they wanted to catch on all of life's happenings. I did not tell my mom or sister about the experiment beforehand.  I found this experiment to be quiet challenging and  lasted maybe 10 mins.  When I started  speaking  with mom she almost immediately noticed that I was not communicating normally and asked if something was wrong. My sister on the other hand,  communicated that I didn't seem very interested in the conversation and started to get irritated we me . After the experiment I have concluded that non-speech language techniques are very important to how we communicate because they help define our emotions and  help give meaning to spoken words. Without non-speech language we are literally  just spouting out words. 

            People who are visually and hearing impaired  may have difficulty reading body language and non-speech language. An adaptive benefit of being able to read body language is being able to evaluate a person or situation,  i.e. a perceptive job applicant or a  hostile situation.  I do not feel that there is an environmental condition where there might be a benefit to not reading body language because body language is sub concise. Most of the time people do not even realize what they are conveying to the rest of the world,  which generally reveals a person's true feelings. 

Comparative Primate Blog

Lemurs are only found on the African island of Madagascar. The forest of Madagascar are often covered with epiphytes, mosses, and lichens. . Lemurs evolved to an arboreal lifestyle (living and feeding off of trees) when separated during early primate evolution. They don’t have a large amount competition for food. A lemurs diet consist typically of fruit, leaves, tree bark, and sap.  The dental formula for a Lemur is 2:1:3:3  Lemurs have 2- incisors,1- canines,3- premolars, and 3-molars in the upper and lower jaws of both the right and left sides, which totals 36 teeth. Since Lemurs have multiple teeth morphologies their dentition is considered to be heterodnet. Prosimians (a type of primate that include lemurs) have a tooth comb which is six teeth that are closely pushed together. Fruit eating Lemurs use their tooth-comb to pick out seeds from fruit. Leaf eating Lemurs have smaller tooth-combs then fruit eating Lemurs. 

Spider monkeys inhabit Central America, South America, and Mexico. All three regions have tropical environments. It is also home to the Amazon Rainforest. Spider Monkeys, like the Lemur, live an arboreal lifestyle. Spider monkeys stay near the tops of canopy trees. The trees serve as a defense from predators below. The spider monkeys diets consist mostly of fruit, bird eggs, insects, and seeds. Spider monkey teeth have evolved to adapt to their arboreal living;  for example, using their incisors to pick fruits off of trees.  The dental formula for a spider monkey is 2:1:3:3  They have 2 incisors, one canine, 3 pre molars, and 3 molars. Spider monkeys differ from Prosimians, in regard to their jaw and teeth. They have no hypoconulids(the distal, or fifth, cusp of a lower molar tooth)  on the first 2 lower molars. 

Baboons live mainly in Africa. Baboons generally prefer semiarid habitats, like savannas, but some live in tropical forests. The major requirements for any habitat seem to be water sources and safe sleeping places—either in tall trees or on cliff faces. Baboons eat fruits, grasses, roots, bark, and seeds. Baboons also eat rodents, birds and other meats. Since, baboons have such a varied diet, they are considered omnivorous. They have broad incisors, molars with high crowns, and low cusps. Baboons have powerful jaws, as well as long teeth. This trait helps to defend against predators, as well as compete for food. Baboons dental formula is 2:1:2:3. Baboons have 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars. 

Southeast Asia is home to gibbons. The climate is warm, humid, and could be generally characterized as monsoonal. The trees of the region are tropical, and are abundant in fruit. Gibbons spend most of their time in trees and feed on fruit trees. They specifically enjoy eating figs, but also eat tree bark and leaves. Gibbon’s dental formula is 2:1:2:3, just as the baboons are. Gibbons have shortened jaws with long canine teeth. Their teeth also resemble that of great apes.

Chimpanzees inhabit both tropical forest and bordering savannas in Africa. The savannas have scattered trees with an arid climate. Chimpanzees are omnivores. While the vast bulk of the chimpanzee's diet is made up of plant foods including fruits, seeds, nuts, leaves and flowers, they will also eat insects and even larger animals that they have hunted and killed themselves. Chimpanzees have 32 teeth; 16 on upper jaw and 16 on bottom jaw. They use their molars to grind fruits and leaves. Their dental formula is 2.1.2.3, 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars, and 3 molars,  just as gibbons and baboons. 

Since they need to crush and grind leaves, animals that have a plant based diet, tend to have more molars which means a dental formula typically of 2:1:3:3.  Animals like the lemur and the spider monkey live in tropical rain forest and inhabit trees. Their plant based diet is abundant in their habitat which allows them to be less aggressive. However, animals that have a meat based diet, tend to be more aggressive because they must compete with other carnivorous animals.  Examples of these animals are chimpanzees, baboons and gibbons.  These animals also tend to have larger incisors and less molars which is typically a dental formula of  2:1:2:3. 

Analogy/Homology

Homology- Cheetahs and Lions

Cheetahs evolved 4-6millon years ago. They are part of the cat family and evolved from domestic cats, wildcats, and all the way back to saber-tooth cats. Cheetahs are the only members of the Acinonyx group. The cheetah lineage is a group of  cats with similar characteristics, slender with long limbs. Cheetahs have a distinctive skull and dental morphology making them unique and different from other cats.

Chloe Schneider. Cheetah - Favorite Living Organism Research Project BIO20I.

http://prezi.com/utugobboophu/cheetah-favorite-living-organism-research-project-bio20i/. 2014, July 03.

Lions are the most social of the cats, living in family groups called prides, consisting of four to twelve related adult females, their young, and one to six adult males. Adult male lions weigh between 300 and 500 pounds (135 and 225 kilograms), while the female weighs about 300 pounds (135 kilograms). Lions are a light tawny color with black markings on the abdomen, legs, ears, and mane. Lions live up to 15 years, reaching sexual maturity in their third year.

http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ex-Ga/Felines.html#ixzz36SxWSdm1

The Cheetah and the Lion both have tongues covered in papillae which they use to scrape the meat from their prey and groom themselves.

Lion

Cheetah

The common ancestor for the cheetah and the lion would have to be a mammal from the Feliodea/Aeluroidea Superfamily. Since the order for all the modern cats is Carnivora (meat eaters) a tongue with papilla would very useful  to remove the flesh from prey. If we move to the superfamily of Feliodea the animals become more "cat like" in characteristics before actually getting to the family of Felidae which is our modern cats.

Analogy- Cheetahs and Dogs

Domestic Dog

Dogs were probably the first tame animals. They have accompanied humans for some 10,000 years. Today humans have bred hundreds of different domestic dog breeds—some of which could never survive in the wild.  Despite their many shapes and sizes all domestic dogs are members of the same species—Canis familiaris.   Domestic dogs still share many behaviors with their wild relatives. Both defend their territories and mark them by urinating on trees, rocks, fence posts, and other suitable sites. Many pet dogs also bury bones or favorite toys for future use, just as their wild relatives sometimes bury a kill to secure the meat for later feasts.

Domestic Dog-Canis familiaris http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/domestic-dog/

Cheetah and Domestic Dog- Being Friendly

Cheetah

A cheetah is part of the cat family. It was believed that they were part of the dog family. For many reasons, such as non-retractable claws which allow them to grip the ground in high speed chases. A dog's non-retractable claws help grip the ground as well. The dog like face. When you look at a cheetah's face compare it to a dog's. Also like dogs cheetah's are light weight which allows them to run like a dog for a certain distance, although a dog can't run 70 mph. What else makes a cheetah look like a dog, is that they have tear marks. Those tear marks prevent lots of sun glare from getting in the cheetahs eyes at high speed chases. Unlike lions, tigers ,jaguars, and leopards the cheetah has a flexible spine for running so fast.

Dog- Front Paws

A dog's paws are the shock absorbers of his foot and pastern (wrist). A dog is not as deft as a cat with his paws. He cannot clean himself or "grab" his prey like a cat can. Rather, a dog uses his paws to dig and scratch. Walking and running are really the best uses for a dog's paws. There are five pads on a dog's foot. One is on each of the four toes, and a larger pad is centered in the "palm" of the foot.
http://www.ehow.com/about_6397161_anatomy-dog-paws.html

Cheetah-back Paws

Cheetah  paws are less rounded and harder than other cats' which helps the cheetah make quick turns. Cheetah claws are semi-retractable and aid in acceleration. The "thumb" claw or dew claw (at right bottom) is positioned back of the other 4 and higher. This claw is used to hook prey during the chase.

http://www.cheetahspot.com/claws.php