Pierolapithecus catalaunicus is an extinct ape that lived in Catalonia, Spain, about 13 to 12.5 million years ago in the Middle Miocene. It was described in 2004 from a partial skeleton found near Els Hostalets de Pierola, one of the most complete Miocene ape skeletons from Europe. It combined primitive features with upright-trunk adaptations while lacking the elongated fingers of modern hanging apes, which makes it important for debates on how great apes and upright posture evolved. Its position is disputed: some researchers see it as a basal member of the great ape family near the ancestor of the living species, while others place it with the orangutan line or the European Dryopithecini.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Hominidae (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Pierolapithecus (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Pierolapithecus (Wikipedia)Lead, locationQuote, Lead, location
in Catalonia, Spain
Sources
1. Paleobiology Database: Paleobiology Database taxa of Hominidae, species list
Paleobiology DatabaseRow for Pierolapithecus catalaunicusQuote, Row for Pierolapithecus catalaunicus
"species","Pierolapithecus catalaunicus","157888","Pierolapithecus","31215","extinct","1","terrestrial","actively mobile","ground dwelling","","omnivore
2. Pierolapithecus (Wikipedia)
Lead, extinct status
is an extinct species of ape that lived during the Middle Miocene, about 13-12.5 million years ago, in Catalonia, Spain
Lead, location
in Catalonia, Spain
Habitat and environment
The environment was quite humid, warm, and forested.
Body size
The holotypic individual is estimated to have weighed 30 kg
In Group: Primate Species, Lead, primate group
is an extinct species of ape that lived during the Middle Miocene, about 13-12.5 million years ago, in Catalonia, Spain
View the SourceHominidae (Wikipedia)
Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Phylogeny, Fossil list, Pierolapithecus catalaunicusQuote, Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Phylogeny, Fossil list, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus
In addition to the extant species and subspecies, archaeologists, paleontologists, and anthropologists have discovered and classified numerous extinct great ape species as below, based on the taxonomy shown.
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