ASU Hominoid Origins Part two Slide Shows

The ASU Hominoid Origins Part 2 Slide Shows explore the evolutionary history, characteristics, and significance of hominoids, a group that includes modern apes and humans. This presentation serves as an educational resource, offering a deep dive into the fossil record, anatomical adaptations, and evolutionary milestones that have shaped the lineage leading to Homo sapiens.

1. Apes Humans
HOMINOID ORIGINS

2. Old World
Monkeys HumansPongo GorillaPanHylobates
MIDDLE MIOCENE
ecological shift in East
Africa; global cooling

3. MIDDLE MIOCENE
16-7 mya
§16 MYA: land bridge
§Overall cooling trend
§Seasons (winter and
summer/dry and
monsoon)
§Spread of woodlandsin
East Africa
§Extinction of Proconsul
§Ungulates (hoofed)
moved into Africa
§Monkeys on the rise
Eurasia
Africa
Paratethys Sea
APES
UNGULATES

4. §Throughout Eurasia there is a trend toward more
open, seasonal habitats
§There is a rapid and continuous rise in the number of
terrestrial species (not just primates) in Eurasian
faunas from 12 –6 mya
The “Modern” Radiation
of Hominoids

5. The early “modern” apes were adapted to a variety of
different habitats that characterized the landscapes of
Europe and Asia:
§seasonal, warm temperate woodland
§subtropical forest
§grassy savannah woodlands
§wooded swamps
The “Modern” Radiation
of Hominoids

6. Old World
Monkeys HumansPongo Gorilla PanHylobates
~11 ±1.5
mya
~6.5 ±1.5
mya
~5.4 ±1.1
mya
Divergence times
based on nuclear
DNA data (Stauffer et
al., 2001)

7. Sivapithecus
§12-8 mya
§Formerly called Ramapithecus
§Thick enamel and other anatomy
linked these to humans
§1979 discovery of skull

8. Relatives of Pongo
Pan Sivapithecus Pongo

9. The Asian Miocene hominoids that may have been
orthogradewere probably “just” climbers –
when/where do suspensory adaptations show up?
When does suspension
evolve?
Gibbon Orang
Brachiation
Climber

10. §Pierolapithecus
§13 –12.5 mya
§Barcelona, Spain
§Mosaic characters
§Orthogradyadaptations
§first evidence of broad,
shallow, ape-like thorax
= suspensory behaviors
§Skull
§facial structure is ape-like,
with primitive profile
EUROPEAN FOSSIL
HOMINOIDS

11. EUROPEAN FOSSIL HOMINOIDS
§Radiation of Oak
apes: Dryopithecus
§E. Lartet, 1856
§D. Begun: ancestors
to extant great apes?
§Postcraniasuggests
arborealityand some
degree of suspensory
behavior.
D. fontani
D. laietanus-9.5 mya; Spain

12. Oreopithecus
7-8 MYA
§N. Italy in lignite
§Swamp
§Folivore
§Hominoid
§Long forelimbs
§Short back
§No tail
§Broad trunk
§BUT multicusped
teeth

13. Ouranopithecus
10 MYA
§Greece
§High sexual
dimorphism
§African ape-like

14. MOST RECENT MIOCENE APES
§Dragon Bones
§China
§Gigantopithecus blacki: 300+ kg
§Ate bamboo, like pandas?
Gigantopithecus
Giant Panda
~8-0.5 mya
Insert giganto/gorilla
comparison dcjwill provide

15. Old World
Monkeys HumansPongo GorillaPanHylobates
~23 mya
~5.4 ±1.1 mya
Planet of the Apes
WHAT’S THE BIG PICTURE?

16. CLASSIFYING US
TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATION
§Superfamily: Hominoidea
§Families
§Hylobatidae(gibbons, siamangs)
§Pongidae(orangs only)
§Panidae(chimps, gorillas only)
§Hominidae(bipeds only)
§Subfamilies
§Homininae(Homoonly)
§Australopithecinae( non-
Homo)
MODERN CLASSIFICATION
§Superfamily: Hominoidea
§Families
§Hylobatidae(gibbons,
siamangs)
§Pongidae(orangs only)
§Hominidae(chimps, gorillas,
and bipeds)
§Tribe
§Hominini(bipeds)
“hominoid” = all apes and bipeds
“hominid”= chimps, gorillas and bipeds
“hominin” = all bipeds