In Depth Although Dryopithecus is known to have had a broad geographic distribution, it is particularly well known from European countries such as France, Spain and Hungary. Dryopithecus is often associated with the orangutan-like Sivapithecus, however study of Dryopithecus fossils indicate that it was actually very different in life. The main difference between these two … Read more
In Depth Babakotia was what is more commonly known as a sloth lemur. This is because unlike the lemurs that we know today, Babakotia had body proportions more like those of a sloth, something which has led to speculation that this lemur was also sloth like in its behaviour. The term sloth lemur is a … Read more
Discovery and species During 1935 the palaeontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald visited a Chinese apothecary shop in Hong Kong and discovered an unusually large molar, a tooth similar to the large flat ones that you have towards the back of your mouth. Fossils like this are often found in Traditional Chinese medicine where … Read more
In Depth Smilodectes is another example of an early Eocene era primate, and one of the better known from North America. As a notharctine primate, Smilodectes was similar to the type genus of the group, Notharctus. Like its relatives, Smilodectes was a small and lightly built primate that spent most of its time up in … Read more
In Depth Although not very well known, Turkanapithecus appears to be similar to other prehistoric primates like Proconsul and Afropithecus. Turkanapithecus is named after the Turkana Lake region of Kenya, with the type species name meaning ‘from Kalakol’ after the Kalakol river where it was found. Further Reading – A second new Miocene hominoid from … Read more
In Depth One of the monkey lemurs from Madagascar, Hadropithecus is often described as being similar to its relative Archaeolemur in behaviour and lifestyle. Hadropithecus was a powerfully built lemur that seems to have been best adapted to a cursorial life on the ground. Lemurs as we know them today usually have long arms and … Read more
In Depth Ouranopithecus is often considered to be a dryopithecine ape (similar to Dryopithecus); however there are others who consider Ouranopithecus to be a member of the Ponginae (orangutan-like apes). Usually however Ouranopithecus is placed within the Hominidae due to the shape and form of the sinuses, although it may also be a late surviving … Read more
In Depth Komba is an extinct genus of galago, alternatively known as a bushbaby, that lived in Africa during the Miocene. Further Reading Further reading- Chapter 20: Later Tertiary Lorisiformes (Strepsirrhini, Primates), by Terry Harrison. – In, Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. University of California Press. pp. 333–349. – L. Werdelin & W. J. Sanders – … Read more
In Depth Teilhardina is a genus of small primate that is known to have existed during the early Eocene. Perceived to have been similar to a marmoset, fossils of Teilhardina have been reported from Belgium, France and China, but are particularly common from the USA. Further Reading - Early Eocene Teilhardina brandti: oldest omomyid primate … Read more
In Depth Oreopithecus is a paradox as while it is amongst the best known of fossil apes, there is still much confusion over how this primate lived and was related to other primates. This confusion is down to how Oreopithecus displays features that both suggest an arboreal life where it swung through the tree canopy, … Read more