Overview

As our planet faces the prospect of a sixth mass extinction, it is a compelling time to understand why some primate species die out, while others thrive. Looking at the fate of primates in the past can help us start to establish what drives extinction and helps adaption. Dating, in all its different forms, is the key to understanding the fate of the primates because without a robust timeline, we end up looking for clues at the wrong time.   

In this talk, I will review attempts we have made to define the fate of four well-known primates: Homo floresiensis (the ‘Hobbit’), in Flores, Indonesia; Homo erectus in Ngandong, Java; Gigantopithecus blacki in southern China; and Homo sapiens in Tam Pa Ling, Laos. I will outline our dating strategy for each area and explain what these resulting timelines tell us about their collective fates. These examples suggest that whether large or small, around for a long time or a short time, certain primate species traits can make them vulnerable to climatic and environmental changes. A robust dating context helps us to pin-point these potential changes and lets us assess primate’s responses from a behavioural perspective, and consider the implications for the fate of primates in the future.

Register here: https://event.mq.edu.au/discover-lecture-series/registration/Site/Register