Rangwapithecus gordoni


TAXONOMY:

MORPHOLOGY:
Rangwapithecus gordoni had a dental formula of 2:1:2:3 on both the upper and lower jaw (Fleagle, 1988). The lower incisors of this species were narrow and high-crowned (Conroy, 1990). The upper canines of this species were high-crowned and bilaterally compressed (Conroy, 1990). The lower third premolar was also bilaterally compressed and the fourth premolar was elongated (Conroy, 1990). The molars of this species were long and narrow and had numerous shearing crests (Kay, 1977; cited in Fleagle, 1988). This species had lower dentition with poorly defined occlusal ridges and buccal cingula (Conroy, 1990). This species had an extensive maxillary sinus system (Conroy, 1990). The mandible of this species was deep (Hill and Odhiambo, 1987; cited in Fleagle, 1988). The superior transverse torus was well-developed in this species (Conroy, 1990). This species had an average body mass of around 15.0 kilograms (Fleagle, 1988).

RANGE:
Rangwapithecus gordoni lived on the continent of Africa and occurred during the early Miocene (Fleagle, 1988).

DIET:
Based upon dental morphology this was a folivorous species (Fleagle, 1988).

REFERENCES:
Conroy, G.C. 1990. Primate Evolution. W.W. Norton and Co.: New York.

Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.

Hill, A. and Odhiambo, I. 1987. New Mandible of Rangwapithecus from Songhor, Kenya. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Vol. 72, 210.

Kay, R.F. 1977. Diets of Early Miocene African Hominoids. Nature (London), Vol. 268, 628-630.

Last updated: November 15, 2001

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