Re: Prior to the `last common ancestor'

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Alex Duncan (aduncan@mail.utexas.edu) sez:

`The time period between 14 - 5 Myr is when fossil hominoids from Africa
`get really rare. All of the known fossils from that period will fit in
`your two hands. There is a good article by Andrew Hill and Steve Ward
`addressing exactly this issue. I'll dig around and try to come up with a
`more precise reference.

`Most hominoid fossils in the time period in question come from Europe and
`Asia.

`Apes lost their tails by the time of appearance of Proconsul (~20 Myr).

`The earliest known hominoid is Kamoyapithecus, dated to about 25 Myr (or
`maybe 28, I've forgotten).

Ok, so of these earlier (older than 14mya) creatures, how much
post cranial remains do we have, and what sorts of modes
of locomotion do they indicate?

If Kamoyapithecus is older than proconsul, does that mean it
had a tail, or is there not enough material to say?

Do we have any idea of what primate stock the homonoids sprang
from, ie which old world monkeys (if any) are we closer to?

--

==========================================================================

    vincent@triumf.ca   <== faster       %    Pete Vincent

    vincent@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca      % Disclaimer: all I know I

                                         % learned from reading Usenet.

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