ANTH 233 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Ankarapithecus, Nakalipithecus, Equatorius
Document Summary
The best known example and understood stem ape. By 14 mya saw several sivapithecines in asia. Equatorius, thought to be in ancestry of eurasian forms. Arboreal quadrupeds lacking the suspensory hanging adaptations which is in all modern apes. Gigantopithecus may have been extant up until fairly recently, 100,000 years ago, been up to 10 feet fall and weighing 1200lbs. The ancestry of hylobatidae is uncertain, possibly diverged 16-18 mya. 5 mya se asian forests also fragmented leading to the rapid speciation of gibbons. Mid miocene (16-11 mya) see rapid radiation in eurasia. Have few fossils, mostly found jaws and teeth. Found in france, spain, italy, greece, austria. New ancestor found, nakalipithecus nakayamai from kenya dated to 10 mya and a possible missing link. Rukwapithecus fleaglei found recently a contemporary with some ow monkeys and therefore is evidence of divergence by 25 mya.
