New 13-million-yr-old fossil ape discovered

[Still Waters]

A new genus and species of small-bodied fossil ape that lived during the Middle Miocene epoch has been identified from a fossilized tooth found in Ramnagar, India. The discovery fills temporal, morphological, and biogeographic gaps in hominoid evolution and provides new evidence about when the ancestors of modern gibbons migrated to Asia from Africa.

Named Kapi ramnagarensis, the new primate species lived approximately 12.5-13.8 million years ago (Middle Miocene epoch) and was distinct from all other known fossil apes.

Its complete lower molar was collected in 2015 from the Lower Siwaliks of Ramnagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India.

It represents the first new hominoid species discovered at the Ramnagar site in nearly a century and the first new Siwalik ape species in more than three decades.

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/kapi-ramnagarensis-08831.html

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-fossil-ape-india.html

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.1655

[Jon the frog]

Interesting, but just one molar...damn that's not a lot !

[Kleng]

More than they had before!

 

[psyche101]

13 hours ago, Jon the frog said:

Interesting, but just one molar...damn that's not a lot !

It's how the Denisovian's started. And Gigantopithicus. 

[Imaginarynumber1]

14 hours ago, Jon the frog said:

Interesting, but just one molar...damn that's not a lot !

A molar is the best tooth to have. From it you can infer geographical distribution, diet, social system, and even general locomotion. 

Edited September 12, 2020 by Imaginarynumber1

[Peter B]

1 hour ago, Imaginarynumber1 said:

A molar is the best tooth to have. From it you can infer geographical distribution, diet, social system, and even general locomotion. 

Do you mind explaining how?

Not doubting, just curious.

[Imaginarynumber1]

1 hour ago, Peter B said:

Do you mind explaining how?

Not doubting, just curious.

Molar cusp pattern will right away tell you if it is a monkey or an ape. Monkeys have 4 cusps while apes have 5 (Known as Y-5 because the cusps form a Y pattern.) 

So a Y-5 means it's a catarrhine (old world primate) and an ape and not a playtrrhine (New wolrd monkey) (Primates have ancestors in the Americas, bu they were neither apes nor monkeys yet. Mainly Omomyoids)

Morphology shows that this tooth is consistent with stem hylobatids (gibbon genus) and therefore is likely to share similar dietary features as extant Gibbons based on area and past environment. Food resources dictate primate social systems,which dictate sexual reproduction. 

 

[Peter B]

20 hours ago, Imaginarynumber1 said:

Molar cusp pattern will right away tell you if it is a monkey or an ape. Monkeys have 4 cusps while apes have 5 (Known as Y-5 because the cusps form a Y pattern.) 

So a Y-5 means it's a catarrhine (old world primate) and an ape and not a playtrrhine (New wolrd monkey) (Primates have ancestors in the Americas, bu they were neither apes nor monkeys yet. Mainly Omomyoids)

Morphology shows that this tooth is consistent with stem hylobatids (gibbon genus) and therefore is likely to share similar dietary features as extant Gibbons based on area and past environment. Food resources dictate primate social systems,which dictate sexual reproduction. 

 

Cool, thank you.

[Artaxerxes]

On 9/12/2020 at 12:48 AM, Imaginarynumber1 said:

"Molar cusp pattern will right away tell you if it is a monkey or an ape. Monkeys have 4 cusps while apes have 5 (Known as Y-5 because the cusps form a Y pattern.) 

So a Y-5 means it's a catarrhine (old world primate) and an ape and not a playtrrhine (New wolrd monkey) (Primates have ancestors in the Americas, bu they were neither apes nor monkeys yet. Mainly Omomyoids)

Morphology shows that this tooth is consistent with stem hylobatids (gibbon genus) and therefore is likely to share similar dietary features as extant Gibbons based on area and past environment. Food resources dictate primate social systems,which dictate sexual reproduction."

Wow!  Great post!  Well done!   Thanks for sharing.  ....  Art