Question

A valid criticism of the arboreal hypothesis of primate origins is that

a. insects and other small creatures do not live in arboreal habitats.
b. the opossum is also an arboreal mammal but did not develop uniquely primate traits.
c. arboreal animals do not eat fruit, which was prevalent in early Cenozoic.
d. All of the choices are correct

Answer 1

The valid criticism of the arboreal hypothesis is that other arboreal mammals like the opossum did not develop primate traits, suggesting that tree-dwelling alone may not fully explain primate evolution.

Step-by-step explanation:

A valid criticism of the arboreal hypothesis of primate origins is b. the opossum is also an arboreal mammal but did not develop uniquely primate traits. The arboreal theory proposes that primates evolved the traits they did as an adaptation to life in the trees.

However, Matt Cartmill introduced the visual predation hypothesis, suggesting that the unique primate traits, such as forward-facing eyes, grasping hands and feet, and the presence of nails instead of claws, may not have arisen solely as adaptations to an arboreal environment but also as adaptations for predation in the lower forest canopy and underbrush.