quarta-feira, 6 de janeiro de 2010

ANCESTRIES OF THE MAN IN THE POSTAL STAMPS I



Mesopithecus pentelici

MACEDONIA

1998



suborder: Haplorrhini

infraorder: Catarrhini

superfamily: Cercopithecoidea

family: Cercopithecidae

subfamily: Colobinae


Mesopithecus pentelici has a dental formula of 2:1:2:3 on both the upper and lower jaws (Fleagle, 1988).


This species has relatively small incisors and cheek teeth (premolars and molars) with high crowns (Fleagle, 1988).

The mandible of this species is relatively deep (Fleagle, 1988). The face is short with large orbits and a broad interorbital distance and a narrow nasal opening (Fleagle, 1988). This species has an external, tubular ectotympanic bone (Martin, 1990).

The limbs are more robust and the digits relatively shorter as compared to extant colobines (Fleagle, 1988).


The postcranial skeleton suggests that this was a terrestrial species (Martin, 1990). This species had an average body mass of around 8.0 kilograms (Fleagle, 1988).




Pliopithecus vindobonensis

CZECHY REPUBLIC

(2006)


Zdeňka Buriana (1905–1981)

suborder: Haplorrhini
infraorder: Catarrhini
superfamily: Propliopithecoidea

family: Pliopithecidae


This species was once thought to be a direct ancestor of the gibbons, but now it is thought that perhaps it is related to the catarrhines from the Fayum deposit in Egypt thus making it a primitive catarrhine (Fleagle, 1988).

RANGE:
Pliopithecus vindobonensis lived on the continent of Europe, and was found in the country of the Czech Republic (Fleagle, 1988).

This species occurred during the middle to late Miocene (Fleagle, 1988).

DIET:
Based upon the dental morphology, the high shearing crests of the teeth, this was a folivorous species (Fleagle, 1988).

LOCOMOTION:
Based upon the postcranial remains this was more than likely an arboreal quadruped which also practiced brachiation (Fleagle, 1988).




Oreopithecus bambolii


ITALY

1991

LUCCA - 1991-APR-24



Is a prehistoric primate species from the Miocene epoch whose fossils have been found in Italy and in East Africa.

Comparative morphological and functional analyses of the skeletal remains of Oreopithecus bambolii, a hominoid from the Miocene Mediterranean island of Tuscany–Sardinia (Italy), provides evidence that bipedal activities made up a significant part of the positional behavior of this primate. The mosaic pattern of its postcranial morphology is to some degree convergent with that of Australopithecus and functionally intermediate between apes and early hominids. Some unique traits could have been selected only under insular conditions where the absence of predators and the limitation of trophic resources play a crucial role in mammalian evolution.




Proconsul africanus

(HOMINOIDEA)

EAST AFRICA (ZANZIBAR)

1967

Mi 167

(2.MAY.1967)


KENYA

1982

Mi 213
(19.JAN.1982)


NIGER

2000

Mi 1849

(27.OCT.2000)


CUBA

1998

Mi 4106
(15.MAY.1998)

Proconsul africanus is the first species of the Miocene-era fossil genus of primate to be discovered and was named by Arthur Hopwood, an associate of Louis Leakey, in 1933


The Proconsul africanus Skull was discovered by Mary Leakey in 1948 on Rusinga Island, Kenya.

This specimen, based on the 1948 Leakey discovery, is the most complete Proconsul africanus cranium to date.

Alan Walker reclassified Proconsul africanus, a Miocene hominoid, as heseloni in 1993.

The skull is characterized by the absence of browridges (unlike in modern apes) and the presence of a projecting face.

Members of this genus are considered dental apes because their teeth possessed ape-like features.

Their teeth also indicate that they were primarily a fruit-eating species. On the other hand, their limb skeletons share monkey-like features.

The evidence provided by a wide range of skeletal remains points toward considerable variation within the genus Proconsul, their body size extending from the size of a small monkey to a female gorilla.

They also inhabited a variety of environments from rain forests to open woodlands.

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