{"id":4769,"date":"2015-06-02T20:21:03","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T00:21:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kenyapage.net\/commentary\/?p=4769"},"modified":"2019-05-25T23:58:53","modified_gmt":"2019-05-26T03:58:53","slug":"ancient-ape-fossils-found-in-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kenyapage.net\/commentary\/kenya-history\/ancient-ape-fossils-found-in-kenya\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Ape fossils found in Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
 <\/p>\n

Numerous fossils of Apes that existed before the advent of Homininds
\nhave been discovered in Kenya. As is the case with Human evolution
\nfossils, Kenya is fertile ground for the discovery of ancient Ape
\nfossils. Below is a listing, description and
\nbackground information about the Human evolutionAncient Ape fossils
\nunearthed in Kenya.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Oldest Chimpanzee Fossils<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

As of 2015, the oldest chimpanzee fossils ever found were unearthed<\/p>\n

in the Kapthurin Formation, a section of the Rift Valley near
\nKenya’s Lake Baringo. These fossils, consisting of three teeth, dated to
\n500,000 years in age–meaning that chimpanzees coexisted alongside
\nhominids. They were unearthed by Sally McBrearty.<\/p>\n

\"Sally<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chimpanzee fossils are very rare because they\u00a0 tend to live in
\nhot, wet jungle conditions that are not good for the preservation of
\nremains<\/p>\n

Nakalipithecus Nakayamai<\/h3>\n

Nakalipithecus Nakayamai is an ape that existed 9.9 to 9.8 million
\nyears ago. It is known from a jawbone that was unearthed in the Nakali
\nregion of Kenya by a team of Kenyan and Japanese scientists. The genus
\nassigned after the area it was found in while the species is named after
\nJapanese geologist Katsuhiro Nakayama who died while working on the
\nproject.<\/p>\n

\"Nakalipithecus<\/p>\n

Nakalopthecus Nakayamai jawbone.
\nCredit: Yutaku Kunimatsu<\/p>\n

Nakalipithecus is very close to the last common ancestor of Humans,
\nchimpanzees and\u00a0 Gorillas. Its dental features resemble those of
\nOuranopithecus macedoniensis<\/em>, an ape that lived in what is now
\nGreece between 9.6 million and 8.7 million years ago and which some
\nscientists think is the last known common ancestor to African great apes
\nand humans. Together with Ouranopithecus<\/i> it provides evidence
\nthat the Homininae lineages of today diverged no earlier than some 8
\nmillion years ago. Second, it supports the theory that the closest
\nrelatives of humans evolved in Africa.
\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong>Kamoyapithecus Hamiltoni<\/h3>\n

Kamoyapithecus is an ape that lived during the Oligocene period (27
\nmillion. It was first discovered in 1948 and was initially thought to be
\na form of proconsul. It was later re-examined by reknowned
\npalaentologist Richard Leakey and assigned a new genus Kamoyapithecus in
\nhonour of famous\u00a0 fossil finder Kamoya Kimeu.<\/p>\n

Kamoyapithecus is the oldest known Catarrhine (Catarrhines are one of
\nthe two subdivisions of higher primates).<\/p>\n

Kamoyapithecus is only known from tooth and jaw fragments. Its teeth
\nare not thickly ernamelled. As such it is thought to have fed primarily
\non soft foods such as fruits and seeds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Proconsul<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Proconsul\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo: Univ of Zurich<\/em><\/p>\n

The Proconsul are an extinct genus of Ape whose fossils have been
\ndiscovered in Kenya and Uganda. It existed during the miocene epoch
\n(23-25 million years ago). There are four species: P. africanus<\/i>,
\nP. gitongai<\/i> , P. major<\/i> and P. meswae, <\/i>which defer
\nin body size.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Proconsul show a mixture of Ape and Old world monkey characte<\/i>ristics.
\nMonkey like features include flexible back, curved metacarpals, and
\nmonkey like posture. Its ape like features include the lack of a tail
\nand enhanced grasping capabilities.<\/p>\n

Because it is one of the earliest monkey to Ape transitional species,
\nIt is thought to be a strong candidate to be the ancestor of all great
\nApes including man and chimpanzees.<\/p>\n

The first specimen was discovered at Koru in what is now Kisumu county
\nin 1909. It was the first ever fossil mammal found in Sub Saharan
\nAfrica. Additional fossils were found near Lake Victoria and on Rusinga
\nIsland.<\/p>\n

Kenyapithecus<\/h3>\n

This genus was first discovered at Fort Ternan by Louis Leakey in
\n1962. It was dated to 14 million years ago. There are two species: K.
\nWickeri and K. Africanus, however there is still great debate among
\nscientists about its classification. It is considered as a potential
\nancestor to the great Apes. Since very similar fossils have been found
\nin Turkey, it is also considered as one of the Apes that started the
\nradiation out of Africa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Samburupithecus Kiptalami<\/h3>\n

Samburupithcus Kiptalami is known from a maxilla fragment that was
\ndiscovered in 1982. It was dated to 9.5 million years ago. It is the
\nonly species of the genus Samburupithecus.<\/p>\n

The teeth have a thick coating of enamel and have cusps that are more
\nrounded rather than pointed.\u202d \u202cThis suggests a diet that incorporated
\ntougher vegetation.<\/p>\n

Limnopithecus<\/h3>\n

Limnopithecus was a a genus of fossil nonbrachiating gibbon like ape from the Lower Miocene<\/span><\/span><\/span>. It was similar in size to modern Gibbons, weighing about 5kg. The species found in Kenya was Limnopithecus Legetet, which is also the oldest (20 – 18 million years. It was found on the Wayondo formation on Rusinga island. <\/span><\/p>\n

Limnopithecus was initially theroized to the ancestral to gibbons, but scientists are\u00a0 now it is more inclined to consider it an archaic hominoid, part of a basal stock that also includes the ancestors of the ilobatids and hominids. Affinities have been proposed with Dendropithecus.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is assumed that Limnopithecus was an arboreal animal that moved easily between the branches; it probably fed on leaves and fruit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dendropithecus<\/h3>\n

Dendropithecus was a genus of ape that existed 15 to 20 million years ago. It was Gibbon like but with very primitive features. It was 60 cm in length and was able to brachiate. Its remains were found on Rusinga island.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

\nBack to Kenya History Page<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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