2023-10-17 11:51:04
From left to right, the skull of Pierolapithecus shortly after discovery, after initial preparation and after virtual reconstruction. – DAVID ALBA (L), S. MOYÀ-SOLÀ (C), KELSEY PUGH (R)
MADRID, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The skull well preserved but damaged of a species of great apes that lived about 12 million years ago has been recreated by an international team of paleontologists.
Pierolapithecus catalaunicusa species from northeastern Spain first described in 2004, was part of a diverse group of now-extinct ape species that lived in Europe between 15 and 7 million years ago.
The species is key to understanding the mosaic nature of hominid evolution (great apes and humans) because it is known from a skull and a partial skeleton of the same individual, a rarity in the fossil record, according to the authors of the work, whose conclusions are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Features of the skull and teeth are extremely important in resolving the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, and when we find this material in association with bones from the rest of the skeleton, it gives us the opportunity to not only precisely locate species on the tree genealogy of the hominids, but also to learn more about the biology of the animal in terms of, for example, how it moved in its environment,” he said it’s a statement lead author Kelsey Pugh, research associate in the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History and professor at Brooklyn College.
Previous work on Pierolapithecus suggests that an upright body plan preceded adaptations that allowed hominids to hang from and move between tree branches. However, debate persists over the evolutionary place of the species, in part due to damage to the skull.
“One of the persistent problems in studies of the evolution of apes and humans is that the fossil record is fragmentary and many specimens are distorted and incompletely preserved“said co-author Ashley Hammond, associate curator and chair of the Museum’s Division of Anthropology. “This makes it difficult to reach a consensus on the evolutionary relationships of key fossil apes that are essential to understanding ape evolution and the humans”.
In an effort to clarify these questions, the researchers used CT scans to virtually reconstruct the skull of Pierolapithecus, compare it to other primate species, and model the evolution of key features of ape facial structure. They found that Pierolapithecus shares similarities in overall face shape and size with fossilized and living great apes, but also has distinct facial features not found in other Middle Miocene apes. The results are consistent with the idea that This species represents one of the first members of the family of great apes and humans.
“An interesting result of the study’s evolutionary modeling is that the skull of Pierolapithecus is closer in shape and size to the ancestor from which great apes and humans evolved. On the other hand, gibbons and siamangs (the ‘apes’) minors’) appear to arise secondarily in relation to size reduction“said co-author Sergio Almécija, senior research scientist in the Museum’s Anthropology Division.
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