Ouranopithecus Temporal range:
Miocene,
| |
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Ouranopithecus macedoniensis skull in the French National Museum of Natural History, Paris | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Hominidae |
Tribe: | † Graecopithecini |
Genus: | †
Ouranopithecus Bonis & Melentis, 1977 |
Species | |
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.
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]
Ouranopithecus Temporal range:
Miocene,
| |
---|---|
Ouranopithecus macedoniensis skull in the French National Museum of Natural History, Paris | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Hominidae |
Tribe: | † Graecopithecini |
Genus: | †
Ouranopithecus Bonis & Melentis, 1977 |
Species | |
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.
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]