Non-human primates share many things in common with humans, which allows us to draw conclusions in regards to how we evolved. A lot of the traits we share link back to acquired traits for living in trees, which I did not expect as much of. Some of these traits include: prehensile digits, vision, learned behaviors, and food intake. All of these things provide insight on our lives as humans and the past that we came from. 

 One of the most interesting things in my opinion was the article on chimps fighting each other for territory. Most of the things that I have heard about chimps in the past labelled them as non-aggressive, so I would not have expected this behavior out of them. I think this connects them to humans since we are very territorial beings and will put up a fight when others invade our space. I think the fact that both humans and chimps both act in this nature tells a lot about the biology engraved in us. Another interesting fact about chimps is that they have social rankings, just as humans do. One thing from lecture that was most interesting about this topic was that female ranking does not differ in much mating success, but the difference between mating success of even the alpha male and the beta male varies greatly, with the beta male having little mating success. 

I think that by studying non-human primates, we can learn about our evolution from aspects of biology, behavior, and culture because of it having been shown that we have a common ancestor. I think that studying the similarities allow conclusions to be drawn in regards to why humans have the physical and social features that we do. A lot of the traits we share link back to acquired traits for living in trees, which I did not expect as much of. Some of these traits include: prehensile digits, vision, learned behaviors, and food intake. One case of this is prehensile digits, which chimps use to maneuver in the trees. One interesting fact about this is that chimp fingertips are sensitive in order to determine if they have good grip on a branch. Another aspect of chimps that humans also have is in terms of vision. While both chimps and humans have binocular stereoscopic vision and color vision, the reasoning for color vision attributes more to a common ancestor dwelling in the trees. Color vision in chimps is attributed to allow detection of differences between light and dark spaces, looking for the next tree to climb to and making sure chimps do not fall out of a branch. I find connecting the dots and learning the reasoning for features in humans is intriguing, being able to learn about humans in a past life. Another common characteristic of humans and chimps is social organizations and hierarchical status. The differences in these components vary within captivity and natural habitats, showing variation in behaviors due to different environmental settings. These differences allow humans to see maximum effectiveness in terms of optimal conditions. All of these things allow humans to see their past and learn as evolution has progressed.