Lufengpithecus
[citation needed] While Lufengpithecus is generally considered to be a primitive pongine by most Western observers, Chinese scientists have noted a set of features that are more reminiscent of hominines.These include a broad interorbital distance, an "African" subnasal morphology, frontal sinuses, and a number of dental similarities.In fact, compared to YV0999 (a cranium of L. hudienensis from Yuanmou), there may have been a high degree of local endemism of apes during this time, due to the wide differences between the two species.[9] This fits with the topographic data of Southwest China at the time, which was subject to uplift and erosion, which created the complex topography of mountain ranges and basins that is still present in current day.Lufengpithecus lufengensis is an extinct ape recovered from lignite (soft coal) beds at the Shihuiba Locality in Lufeng County, Yunnan, China, dating to the latest Miocene.[1] The fossil remains from Shihuiba included a number of relatively complete but badly crushed crania of both male and female specimens.[12][13] In the Lufeng region of China, a Miocene hominoid site, a series of excavations were untaken between 1975 and 1983 which recovered five skulls, tens of mandibles, hundreds of isolated teeth and some post-cranial bones of the species.[10] Specimens include: Using an equation derived by Conroy (1987) based on the mesiodistal length of preserved teeth found, it is estimated that Lufengpithecus had a body mass between 55.4 and 67.6 kg (122 and 149 lb).[18] The molars have thick enamel, peripheralized cusp apices with expansive basin and a dense, complex pattern of occlusal crenulations.The pattern of compactness of the small transverse ridges in the enamel of permanent teeth of L. lufengensis are very similar to that of modern humans.Research was done on a set of upper and lower molars and measurements of both the mesiodistal and buccolingual cusps were done and compared with other indigenous apes of the area in the time period.Due to the shearing crest size of the teeth that belongs to L. lufengensis researchers believe that the species' diet consisted primarily of leaves and berries.Lake or wetland environments were also common, and it is postulated that Lufengpithecus lived in forests adjacent to open areas with grasses, which began expanding along with other C4 plants.[3] Other animals include elephants, the beaver Sinocastor, the rodent Kowalskia, the flying squirrel Pliopetaurista, the rabbit Alilepus, and the saber-toothed cat Longchuansmilus.
PreꞒYunnan Provincial MuseumScientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataMammaliaPrimatesHaplorhiniSimiiformesHominidaeSynonymsRamapithecusextinctdentalskullsspeciesLate MiocenePonginaeHomininaeSivapithecusmolarscanine teethpremolarshomininesinterorbitalmorphologysinusespostcranialbipedalismphylogenymandibularSichuanGigantopithecusThailandKhoratpithecusspecific nameorangutansligniteLufeng CountyYunnanMiocenehuman ancestorfossilssexual dimorphismcercopithecoidmonkeysYuanmou CountymaxillaryHonghe Prefecturalgum diseaseProconsulOuranopithecusDendropithecusQuercusangiospermsgymnospermspteridophytesConifersC4 plantselephantsflying squirrelrabbitsaber-toothed catLongchuansmilusGriphopithecusMeganthropusBibcodeOmomyidaeAltaniusAltiatlasiusBownomomysNecrolemurAnaptomorphinaeTeilhardinaChipetaiaNesomomysRooneyiaShoshoniusTarsiiformesArchicebusAfrotarsiidaeTarsiidaeCarlitoCephalopachusTarsiusNosmipsPhileosimiasAfrasiaAfrotarsiusEosimiidaeEosimiasAmphipithecidaeAmphipithecusGanleaParapithecoideaArsinoeaBiretiaProteopithecidaeSerapiaParapithecidaeApidiumParapithecusQatraniaPlatyrrhiniCanaanimicoBranisellaLagonimicoAotidaeTremacebusPitheciidaeAntillothrixCacajaoCallicebusCebupitheciaCheracebusChiropotesHomunculusInsulacebusMiocallicebusNuciruptorPitheciaPlecturocebusXenothrixAtelidaeAlouatta