New proconsuloid postcranials from the early Miocene of Kenya |
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| Authors: | Daniel L Gebo Nasser R Malit Isaiah Odhiambo Nengo |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA;(2) Department of Anthropology, State University of New York-Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, USA;(3) Department of Anthropology, De Anza College, Cupertino, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | New early Miocene forelimb fossils have been recovered from the Songhor and Lower Kapurtay localities in southwestern Kenya.
We describe four specimens that are similar in size and functional capabilities. Their specific allocation is problematic
but these forelimb specimens must belong to either Rangwapithecus gordoni or Proconsul africanus. If these new postcranial specimens should belong to R. gordoni, on the basis of size and common dental specimens found at Songhor, they represent a new elbow complex. The morphology of
these fossils is anatomically and functionally similar to that of Proconsul. The proconsuloid elbow complex allows extensive forelimb rotations and is capable of performing arboreal quadrupedalism
and climbing activities. No suspensory adaptations are apparent. The proconsuloid elbow complex remains a good ancestral condition
for hominoid primates. |
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