Kenyapithecus wickeri
Encyclopedia
Kenyapithecus wickeri was a fossil
ape
discovered by Louis Leakey
in 1961 at a site called Fort Ternan
in Kenya
. The upper jaw and teeth were dated to 14 million years ago.
One theory states that Kenyapithecus may be the common ancestor of all the great apes. More recent investigations suggest Kenyapithecus is more primitive than that and is only slightly more modern than when Proconsul
is considered to be an ape.
Evidence suggests that Kenyapithecus wickeri was one of the species that started a radiation of apes out of Africa
.
Impressed by Kenyapithecuss modern-looking teeth, Leakey declared Kenyapithecus to be "a very early ancestor of man himself."
Kenyapithecus possessed craniodental adaptation
s for hard object feeding including thicker molar enamel
, and a large mandible
, large premolars and upper incisors that are similar to those seen in living pitheciine monkeys Kenyapithecus also possessed macaque-like limbs
adapted for a knuckle-walking
mode of semi-terrestrial locomotion
This could show that as hominins evolved, they passed through a knuckle-walking phase.
Kenyapithecus wickeri has very distinct features, especially details in the canine teeth and is similar to modern apes.
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
discovered by Louis Leakey
Louis Leakey
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was a British archaeologist and naturalist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there...
in 1961 at a site called Fort Ternan
Fort Ternan
Fort Ternan is a small town in Nyando District, Nyanza Province, Kenya located 50 kilometres east of Kisumu and five kilometres east of Koru. Fort Ternan is located adjacent the western border of Rift Valley Province . Fort Ternan forms a ward of Muhoroni Constituency and Muhoroni town council...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The upper jaw and teeth were dated to 14 million years ago.
One theory states that Kenyapithecus may be the common ancestor of all the great apes. More recent investigations suggest Kenyapithecus is more primitive than that and is only slightly more modern than when Proconsul
Proconsul (genus)
Proconsul is an extinct genus of primates that existed from 23 to 5 million years ago during the Early Miocene epoch. Fossil remains are present in Eastern Africa including Kenya and Uganda. Four species have been classified to date: P. africanus, P. heseloni, P. major and P. nyanzae. The four...
is considered to be an ape.
Evidence suggests that Kenyapithecus wickeri was one of the species that started a radiation of apes out of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Morphology
Kenyapithecus possessed craniodental adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
s for hard object feeding including thicker molar enamel
Tooth enamel
Tooth enamel, along with dentin, cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major tissues that make up the tooth in vertebrates. It is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance in the human body. Tooth enamel is also found in the dermal denticles of sharks...
, and a large mandible
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
, large premolars and upper incisors that are similar to those seen in living pitheciine monkeys Kenyapithecus also possessed macaque-like limbs
Limb (anatomy)
A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....
adapted for a knuckle-walking
Knuckle-walking
Knuckle-walking is a form of quadrupedal walking in which the forelimbs hold the fingers in a partially flexed posture that allows body weight to press down on the ground through the knuckles....
mode of semi-terrestrial locomotion
Animal locomotion
Animal locomotion, which is the act of self-propulsion by an animal, has many manifestations, including running, swimming, jumping and flying. Animals move for a variety of reasons, such as to find food, a mate, or a suitable microhabitat, and to escape predators...
This could show that as hominins evolved, they passed through a knuckle-walking phase.
Kenyapithecus wickeri has very distinct features, especially details in the canine teeth and is similar to modern apes.
External links
- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990831080717.htm
- http://www.nmsu.edu/~anthro/monte_mccrossin.htm
- http://web.archive.org/web/20091026205356/http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/1381/hominids1.html
- http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~reffland/anthropology/anthro2003/origins/primates/primate_evol/miocene.html
- http://google.com/search?q=cache:VnLGT_wKX8gJ:rcp.missouri.edu/carolward/pdfs/quotezimmer.doc+Kenyapithecus+wickeri&hl=en
- Mikko's Phylogeny archive