Overview of the Fossil Primates

Name: _____________________________
Score: ____________
Spring 2015
Pasadena City College, Department of Anthropology
Anthropology 001: Physical Anthropology (3.0 Unit)
Week 11: Overview of the Fossil Primates (Pre-Great Apes)
The Cenozoic era represents the broad period when most of the primates evolved. It is the age of
mammals. This period is divided into seven epochs, the oldest of which is called the Paleocene (66 mya).
For each of epochs, we can roughly attribute a particular phase of primate evolution and development.
Know which primates correspond to each time period/epoch:
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Paleocene (66 – 56mya): Plesiadapiforms
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Eocene (56 – 34 mya): Adapoids and Omomyoids
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Oligocene (34 – 23 mya): Oligocene primates/adapoids
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Miocene (23 – 5.3 mya): Proconsuloids
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Pliocene (5.3 – 1.8 mya): Early hominin
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Pleistocene (1.8 – 10,000 ya): Early homo
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Holocene (10,000 ya – present): Modern humans
Plesiadapiforms (Paleocene), and/or plesiadapis consist of early mammals with certain primate-like
characteristics. Some researchers consider plesiadapiforms to be the first primates because of their
petrosal bulla (skeletal casing in the middle ear), more rounded molar cusps, and arboreal features of
the postcranial skeleton. Fossils are known from North America, Europe, and China. WHATS
IMPORTANT! First known archaic primates…
Plesiadapis
Adapoids and Omomyoids primates (Eocene), the “true” primates of North America, Europe, and Asia,
more than 80 species, with a dental formula of 2.1.4.3. WHATS IMPORTANT! Ancestors to Old World
monkeys. Two well-known species are Adapis and Necrolemur.
Oligocene primates (Oligocene), apidium, and aegyptopithecus known as the true primates! Fossils
found in Africa and Egypt. Apidium had a dental formula is 2.1.3.3; thereby suggesting it had a diverse
diet. Researchers believe Oligocene primates represent the last extinct primate lineage before the split
into early human primates. WHATS IMPORTANT! Supposed ancestors to the hominoids and the first to
exhibit the Y5 molar cusp pattern (see page 3, this handout).
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Name: _____________________________
Score: ____________
Spring 2015
Dental formulas: Apidium (2:1:3:3), Aegyptopithecus (2:1:2:3)
Aegyptopithecus
Proconsuloids (Miocene), proconsul lived in Africa and Asia 20–17 mya. Large cranium when compared
to apidium and aegyptopithecus. Displayed arboreal and terrestrial abilities, with ape-like heads and a
body with a mixture of ape-like and monkey-like features, about 5 feet long and 50-75 pounds, with no
tail. An Asian form of the Proconsuloids is known as sivapithecus from India and Pakistan. WHATS
IMPORTANT? Proconsuloids have a bilophodont molar pattern (4 cusps), where as humans have a Y-5
molar pattern. Extinct cousin of chimp?
Dental formula: Proconsul (2:1:2:3)
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Name: _____________________________
Score: ____________
Spring 2015
Left: bilophodont, Right: Y5 molar cusp pattern Proconsul skull
Left to right: Chimpanzee, Sivapithecus (a Proconsuloids), and Orangutan
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