Morphological Correlates Of Substrate Use In Didelphid Marsupials: Implications For Primate Origins
behavior; cercopithecidae; cheirogaleid primates; didelphid marsupials; evolution; foot; forest; french-guyana; hand; locomotion; mass; opossum caluromys-philander; posture; prehensility; small mammals; Zoology
The ability of some mammals to forage on vines or terminal branches depends upon their grasping extremities. This study tests the functional link between use of small-diameter supports and grasping abilities by comparing hand and foot proportions in didelphid marsupials. Metapodials and phalanges were measured for the hands and feet of six didelphid taxa characterized by different patterns of substrate use. Comparisons of hand and foot proportions demonstrate that Marmosa and Caluromys, didelphids that rely on vines or terminal branches, possess more prehensile extremities than Monodelphis, Didelphis, and Philander, which travel and feed mainly on the ground. Moreover, the proportions of the hand and foot of Marmosa and Caluromys are more similar to those of cheirogaelid primates than those of other didelphids. These morphological data corroborate the suggestion that the use of branches of small diameter was an important factor in the development of prehensile hands and feet in early primates.
Lemelin P
Journal of Zoology
1999
1999-02
Journal Article or Conference Abstract Publication
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1017/s0952836999002046" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1017/s0952836999002046</a>
Palaeontological evidence for an Oligocene divergence between Old World monkeys and apes.
AFRICA; APES; BIOTIC communities; CERCOPITHECIDAE; OLIGOCENE Epoch; PALEONTOLOGY; TANZANIA
Apes and Old World monkeys are prominent components of modern African and Asian ecosystems, yet the earliest phases of their evolutionary history have remained largely undocumented. The absence of crown catarrhine fossils older than ∼20 million years (Myr) has stood in stark contrast to molecular divergence estimates of ∼25-30 Myr for the split between Cercopithecoidea (Old World monkeys) and Hominoidea (apes), implying long ghost lineages for both clades. Here we describe the oldest known fossil 'ape', represented by a partial mandible preserving dental features that place it with 'nyanzapithecine' stem hominoids. Additionally, we report the oldest stem member of the Old World monkey clade, represented by a lower third molar. Both specimens were recovered from a precisely dated 25.2-Myr-old stratum in the Rukwa Rift, a segment of the western branch of the East African Rift in Tanzania. These finds extend the fossil record of apes and Old World monkeys well into the Oligocene epoch of Africa, suggesting a possible link between diversification of crown catarrhines and changes in the African landscape brought about by previously unrecognized tectonic activity in the East African rift system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Stevens Nancy J; Seiffert Erik R; O'Connor Patrick M; Roberts Eric M; Schmitz Mark D; Krause Cornelia; Gorscak Eric; Ngasala Sifa; Hieronymus Tobin L; Temu Joseph
Nature
2013
2013-05-30
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/nature12161" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1038/nature12161</a>