// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Turkanapithecus say? "I'm a pithecus above the rest
| Turkanapithecus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Skull of Turkanapithecus kalakolensis at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Superfamily: | Hominoidea |
| Family: | †Dendropithecidae |
| Subfamily: | †Nyanzapithecinae |
| Genus: | †Turkanapithecus Leakey & Leakey, 1986 |
| Type species | |
| †Turkanapithecus kalakolensis | |
Turkanapithecus is an extinct genus of hominoid primates from the Early Miocene of northern Kenya. The genus is known from the Lothidok Formation in the Turkana Basin, particularly the Kalodirr and Moruorot site complexes. It is represented by the species †Turkanapithecus kalakolensis.[1][2]
Description
[edit]Turkanapithecus was a medium-sized early Miocene hominoid. The type specimen preserves a partial cranium and mandible, while associated postcranial elements were probably associated with the same individual. Two additional specimens were also described in the study of the species' morphology.[3]
The original description recognized Turkanapithecus as distinct from previously reported genera of Miocene hominoids. Its relationship to other known hominoids was considered unclear at the time of its description.[4]
Additional fossil material described by Rossie and Cote in 2022 included a new mandible and an isolated lower molar of T. kalakolensis from the Kalodirr Site Complex. The specimens further clarified the lower molar morphology of the species and allowed the identification of KNM-MO 1 as a mandible of T. kalakolensis.[2]
Features
[edit]The cranium of Turkanapithecus kalakolensis had a short and low face with a distinct, domed snout. The nasal aperture was broad and ovoid, while the orbits were subcircular and separated by a broad interorbital region. The anterior root of the zygomatic arch was positioned relatively low, near the level of the alveolar margin.[5]
Taxonomy
[edit]Turkanapithecus kalakolensis was described by Richard E. Leakey and Meave G. Leakey in 1986 from an Early Miocene site in northern Kenya. The original description recognized the taxon as a new genus of medium-sized ape and stated that its relationships with other known hominoids were unclear.[4]
Later work has identified Turkanapithecus as a member of the nyanzapithecines. Rossie and Cote found in 2022 that the additional lower molar material strengthened the identification of T. kalakolensis as a nyanzapithecine.[2]
The higher-level phylogeny of Miocene apes remains subject to discussion because of the sparse fossil record, homoplasy, and incomplete preservation.[6]
Species
[edit]Turkanapithecus kalakolensis
[edit]†Turkanapithecus kalakolensis is the species on which the genus Turkanapithecus is based. It was described by Richard E. Leakey and Meave G. Leakey in 1986 from the Early Miocene of northern Kenya.[4]
The type specimen preserves a partial cranium and mandible, with additional postcranial elements probably associated with it. Two additional specimens were included in the morphological study published by Leakey, Leakey, and Walker in 1988.[3]
Additional material assigned to T. kalakolensis was described by Rossie and Cote in 2022. Their study included a new mandible and an isolated lower third molar from Kalodirr and reassigned KNM-MO 1 as a mandible of the species.[2]
Paleobiology
[edit]Turkanapithecus has an estimated body mass of approximately 10 kg. It has been interpreted as an arboreal quadruped, with locomotor behaviour generally similar to that of Proconsul but with greater specialization for climbing.[7]
Turkanapithecus is generally classified among the nyanzapithecines, a group characterized by distinctive cheek teeth that have been interpreted as adaptations for folivory. This suggests that leaves may have formed an important part of the diet of T. kalakolensis, although the precise dietary composition of the species is uncertain.[7]
Paleoecology
[edit]Turkanapithecus is known from the Kalodirr and Moruorot Site Complexes of the Lothidok Formation. At Moruorot, Turkanapithecus and other Early Miocene apes were preserved in humid alluvial fan complexes. Paleovegetation proxies indicate that C3 plants were present in a forested ecosystem, with estimated mean annual precipitation of 1700–1900 mm and strongly seasonal rainfall.[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Boschetto, H. B.; Brown, F. H.; McDougall, Ian (1992). "Stratigraphy of the Lothidok Range, northern Kenya, and K/Ar ages of its Miocene primates". Journal of Human Evolution. 22 (1): 47–71. doi:10.1016/0047-2484(92)90029-9.
- 1 2 3 4 Rossie, James B.; Cote, Susanne M. (2022). "Additional hominoid fossils from the early Miocene of the Lothidok Formation, Kenya". American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 179 (2): 261–275. doi:10.1002/ajpa.24594. hdl:1880/119438. PMID 36790670.
- 1 2 Leakey, Richard E.; Leakey, Meave G.; Walker, Alan C. (1988). "Morphology of Turkanapithecus kalakolensis from Kenya". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 76 (3): 277–288. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330760302. PMID 3137823.
- 1 2 3 Leakey, Richard E.; Leakey, Meave G. (1986). "A second new Miocene hominoid from Kenya". Nature. 324 (6093): 146–148. doi:10.1038/324146a0.
- ↑ Alba, David M.; Urciuoli, Alessandro; Hammond, Ashley S.; Almécija, Sergio; Rook, Lorenzo; Zanolli, Clément (2024). "Miocene ape evolution: Where does Oreopithecus fit in?" (PDF). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 63 (2): 153–182.
- ↑ Urciuoli, Alessandro; Alba, David M. (2023). "Systematics of Miocene apes: State of the art of a neverending controversy". Journal of Human Evolution. 175 (25–26) 103309. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103309. PMID 36751068.
- 1 2 Harrison, Terry (2010). "Miocene Primates". The Cenozoic. Wiley-Blackwell. doi:10.1002/9781119179313.wbprim0227.
- ↑ Lukens, William; Peppe, Daniel; Cote, Susanne; Rossie, James; Deino, Alan; Herold, Joslyn; Venters, Ana; Munyaka, Venanzio; Muchemi, Francis (2026). "Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironments of Early to Middle Miocene strata in West Turkana, Kenya: proxy records of forests, woodlands, and hydroclimate change". EGU General Assembly 2026. doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13842.