Sivapithecus
Name:
Sivapithecus
(Siva ape).
Phonetic: See-vah-pif-e-kus.
Named By: Pilgrim - 1910.
Synonyms: Ankarapithecus, Palaeopithecus
sivalensis, Ramapithecus.
Classification: Chordata, Mammalia, Primates,
Hominidae, Ponginae.
Species: S. indicus (type),
S.
meteai, S. parvada, S. punjabicus, S. sivalensis.
*Note - There is occasional differences in the number of species
mentioned between sources.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: 1.5 meters tall when bipedal.
Known locations: China, India, Nepal,
Pakistan & Turkey.
Time period: Serravallian to Messinian of the
Miocene.
Fossil representation: Partial, fragmented remains
of numerous individuals.
Although
best known from the Sivalik Hills, Sivapithecus
seems to have had a
much broader geographical distribution. This is in part down to
fossils of other genera such as Ankarapithecus and Palaeopithecus
being
reassigned to Sivapithecus. One genus in
particular called
Ramapithecus was previously heralded as an ancestor
of humans, but as
more and more fossils were found it became clear to
palaeontologists, anthropologists and primatologists that it was
almost identical to Sivapithecus. The only real
difference between
the remains is that fossils originally assigned as Ramapithecus
are
smaller, possibly because of sexual dimorphism with them being
females, although ideas it being a smaller species of Sivapithecus
have also been considered.
Despite
the history associated with Ramapithecus that is
now widely considered
a synonym to this genus, Sivapithecus was not an
ancestor of modern
humans. Instead it’s more likely that Sivapithecus
was an ancestor to
the orangutan, although some parts if the body appear to be more
chimpanzee-like. The body proportions and particularly the form of
the wrists lend string support to the idea that Sivapithecus
spent a
greater amount of time on the ground than in the trees. Despite
this, skull remains and subsequent reconstructions based upon these
have revealed that Sivapithecus was much more
orangutan-like in its
facial appearance. There is also a real possibility that aside from
being an ancestor to modern orangutans, Sivapithecus
was also related
to the giant ape Gigantopithecus,
the larger species of which were
easily double the size of Sivapithecus.
Like
with Gigantopithecus, Sivapithecus
is thought to have primarily eaten
tough vegetation some that is evidenced by the large molar and canine
teeth. However there is also some fossil evidence that Sivapithecus
would also take fruits, so it’s probable that exact diet may have
depended upon what was both annually and seasonally available in the
ecosystem.
Further reading
- Sivapithecus simonsi, a New Species of Miocene
Hominoid, with
Comments on the Phylogenetic Status of the Ramapithecinae. -
International Journal of Primatotology 3(2):113-173. - R. F. kay - 1982.
- First record of the Miocene hominoid Sivapithecus
from Kutch, Gujarat
state, western India. - PLOS ONE. 13 (11): e0206314. - Ansuya Bhandari,
Richard F. Kay, Blythe A. Williams, Brahma Nand Tiwari, Sunil Bajpai
& Tobin Hieronymus, (Charles, Cyril-ed.) - 2018.
Random favourites
 |
 |
 |
 |