CATARRHINE APE

catarrhine ape, the term used to describe those apes which have the nostrils approximated, the aperture pointing downward, and the intervening septum narrow; distinguishing features of both the lower "doglike" apes (cynomorpha) and the higher "manlike" apes (anthropomorpha). the catarrhini are restricted entirely to the old world, and include the gorilla, the chimpanzee and orang-utan. catastrophe (gr. [greek: katastrophe], from [greek: katastrephein], to overturn), a term of the ancient greek drama for the change in the plot which leads up to the conclusion. the word is thus used of any sudden change, particularly of a violent or disastrous nature, and in geology of a cataclysm or great convulsion of the earth's surface.