Ape-like or hominid-like? The positional behavior of Oreopithecus bambolii reconsidered
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Communicated by David Pilbeam, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (received for review April 17, 1997)
Abstract
Comparative morphological and functional analyses of the skeletal remains of Oreopithecus bambolii, a hominoid from the Miocene Mediterranean island of Tuscany–Sardinia (Italy), provides evidence that bipedal activities made up a significant part of the positional behavior of this primate. The mosaic pattern of its postcranial morphology is to some degree convergent with that of Australopithecus and functionally intermediate between apes and early hominids. Some unique traits could have been selected only under insular conditions where the absence of predators and the limitation of trophic resources play a crucial role in mammalian evolution.
Footnotes
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- Copyright © 1997, The National Academy of Sciences of the USA
