- Pierolapithecus catalaunicus
Taxobox
name = "Pierolapithecus catalaunicus"
fossil_range =Miocene
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
ordo =Primate s
superfamilia =Hominoidea
genus = "Pierolapithecus"
genus_authority = Moyà-Solà et al,2004
species = "P. catalaunicus"
binomial = "Pierolapithecus catalaunicus"
binomial_authority = Moyà-Solà et al,2004 "Pierolapithecus catalaunicus" is an extinct species of
primate which lived about 13 million years ago during theMiocene in what is nowHostalets de Pierola ,Catalonia (Spain ) giving the name to the species. It is believed by some to be acommon ancestor of both modernhuman s and the othergreat ape s, or at least a species that brings us closer to a common ancestor than any previous fossil discovery.The species was described by a team of Spanish
paleoanthropologist s led bySalvador Moyà-Solà on the basis of afossil specimen discovered in December2002 . The finding was first reported in thejournal Science onNovember 19 ,2004 ."Pierolapithecus" had special adaptations for tree climbing, just as humans and other great apes do: a wide, flat ribcage, a stiff lower spine, flexible wrists, and shoulder blades that lay along its back.
Monkey s andlesser ape s show more generalized characteristics. The ape does have more primitive, monkeylike features, however, such as a sloped face and short fingers and toes.The hypothesis that this new species was an
ancestor of all modern great apes is controversial due to its location in Spain, since all the existing great ape species live in eitherSoutheast Asia orAfrica , and Africa has been the location for so much of the evolution ofgreat ape s andhuman s. However, theMediterranean Sea expanded and contracted frequently in the past, permitting the dispersal of life between Africa andEurope and the "Pierolapithecus" could have lived on both continents.Rather than a full common ancestor, it has been suggested that the species may be ancestral to
human s,chimpanzee s andgorilla s but notorangutan s, given certain characteristics of the face.External links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4014351.stm BBC news: 'Original' great ape discovered]
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