Ouranopithecus
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Ouranopithecus is a genus of extinct Eurasian great ape represented by two species, Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, a late Miocene (9.6–8.7 mya) hominoid from Greece[1] and Ouranopithecus turkae, also from the late Miocene (8.7–7.4 mya) of Turkey.[2]
The first specimen O. macedoniensis was discovered by French palaeontologists Louis de Bonis and Jean Melentis in 1977,[3] and O. turkae by Turkish team led by Erksin Savaş Güleç in 2007.[2] For a long time it was considered as similar (synonymous) to Graecopithecus and member of the genus Sivapithecus,[4] which more discoveries proved otherwise.
Description and systematics
Based on O. macedoniensis' dental and facial anatomy, it has been suggested that Ouranopithecus was actually a dryopithecine. However, it is probably more closely related to the Ponginae.[5][6] Some researchers consider O. macedoniensis to be the last common ancestor of humans (hominins) and the other apes,[7] and a forerunner to australopithecines and humans,[8] although this is very controversial and not widely accepted. It is true that O. macedoniensis shares derived features with some early hominins (such as the frontal sinus, a cavity in the forehead), but they are almost certainly not closely related species.[9]
In 1984, British palaeontologists Peter Andrews and Lawrence B. Martin classified Graecopithecus and Ouranopithecus as synonyms (same taxon) and treated them as members of the genus Sivapithecus.[10][11] However, comparative analysis showed that there is not enough data to support the synonymy.[12]
When more O. macedoniensis fossils were discovered[13] including part of the skull in the 1990s,[14] it became apparent that O. macedoniensis and G. freybergi are distinct species. In the light of new data, in 1997, Australian palaeontologist David W. Cameron treated Graecopithecus as a valid genus based on taxonomic priority and renamed O. macedoniensis as Graecopithecus macedoniensis.[15][16] However, better O. macedoniensis specimens were found[17] including a new species Ouranopithecus turkae from Turkey[18] that warranted separation of the genus.
In addition, a meticulous re-description of Graecopithecus specimens in 2017 further evidenced that Graecopithecus is more related to humans than to apes,[19] while Ouranopithecus specimens have strict ape-like characters. Separate genus are therefore continued to be generally adopted.[20][21][22]
See also
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References
External links
- Human Timeline (Interactive) – Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History (August 2016).
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