Ouranopithecus macedoniensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| ?Ouranopithecus macedoniensis Conservation status: Fossil Miocene |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Ouranopithecus macedoniensis Bonis & Melentis, 1977 |
Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, which is sometimes called Graecopithecus macedoniensis, was a prehistoric hominid species found in Greece and dated to the late Miocene. Based on O. macedoniensis's dental and facial anatomy, it is possible that O. macedoniensis was a dryopithecine. However, O. macedoniensis seems to be more closely related to orangutans in subfamily Ponginae while the most of Dryopithecinae are more closely related to the other great apes in Homininae and a few are considered to be outside of the ape clade altogether.
[edit] Morphology
O. macedoniensis had a large, broad face with a prominent supraorbital torus. It also had square-shaped orbits. O. macedoniensis may have had a relative large body size. O. macedoniensis's molar enamel cover was fairly thick and had low cusps. Sexual dimorphism is evident by the teeth. The male O. macedoniensis had large canine teeth with shearing lower premolars.
[edit] Diet
Based on the heavily pitted surface of the second molar of Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, it's assumed that it's diet consisted of harder foods such as nuts or tubers.
