Anoiapithecus brevirostris And The Origins Of Great Apes & Humans

Over at Primatology.net, I’ve written about a new ‘missing link’, Anoiapithecus brevirostris (IPS43000) from Abocador de Can Mata, Spain. I’m cross posting it here for two reasons, one to generate traffic and interest in that post but also to let you know that the specimen which is 11.9 million years old has a wide array of modern and derived characteristics that the authors argue suggest that the origin of our family is a phenomenon that took place on the Mediterranean region during the time span comprised between their arrival from Africa by about 15 Ma, and about 13 Ma. Wacky.

Anoiapithecus Brevirostris (IPS43000)

Of course every paleoanthropologist wants to say their fossil find is the origin of humanity. Apparently there’s no shame in doing so… But given that one of Anthropology.net’s most popular posts discussed an origin of humans for apes and that I’ve researched a bit about Eurasia hominoids last year, I think you should be interested in this being at least a new fossil in the paleoanthropological/primatological record.

I’ll be closing the comment thread on this post so as to carry the discussion over on Primatology.net, so hop on over and discuss where you think humans evolved and what you think about Lluc, Anoiapithecus Brevirostris (IPS43000) — a fossil that deserves more ‘human evolution’ centered discussion than Ida, a.k.a. Darwinius massillae.

Moya-Sola, S., Alba, D., Almecija, S., Casanovas-Vilar, I., Kohler, M., De Esteban-Trivigno, S., Robles, J., Galindo, J., & Fortuny, J. (2009). A unique Middle Miocene European hominoid and the origins of the great ape and human clade Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0811730106.