Sivapithecus is east and Dryopithecus is west, and never the twain shall meet

Abstract

Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus are well-described Miocene hominids (great apes and humans), both known since the 19th century. Over the years these genera have been combined into one (Dryopithecus) or separated up to the subfamily level. Each have been dismissed as interesting side branches, hailed as direct ancestors, or recognized as sister clades to one or more clade of extant hominid. Here I argue that they are each stem taxa of the two living hominid clades Ponginae and Homininae. A famous poem by Rudyard Kipling tells the tale of a British and Afghan soldier whose differences (in ethnicity) obscure their similarities (in character). The relationship between Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus is similar. On the one hand, Sivapithecus is restricted to South Asia, has thickly enameled molars, robust jaws, and superficially baboon-like forelimbs; Dryopithecus is European, has thinly enameled molars and gracile jaws, with suspensory forelimbs. On the other hand, both are great apes, both had suspensory adaptations, large brains, and delayed development, and both are closely related to living hominids. Recognition of the likely relations of Sivapithecus and Dryopithecus provides insight into the causes, timing, and paleobiogeography of crown hominid origins.

A new Late Miocene great ape from Kenya and its implications for the origins of African great apes and humans

“…Because of the paucity of African hominoid fossils in the later Miocene and the presence of some Eurasian apes that show affinities to extant great apes, it has been suggested that some Eurasian Miocene hominoid may have come back to Africa in the early Late Miocene to become the last common ancestor of extant African great apes and humans (11,13). However, the Nakali and Samburu Hills primate faunas show that three large hominoids and two small non-cercopithecoid catarrhines coexisted with a small colobine monkey at Ϸ10 Ma, even within a relatively small area in Kenya.…”

“…Ouranopithecus has often been suggested to be close to the ancestry of the African great ape and human clade (11,12,41,42), but it was known only from Greece in southeastern Europe. However, the possibility that Ouranopithecus or a very similar genus would be discovered in Africa in the future has not been discounted (43).…”

“…Although there is a variety of Late Miocene hominoids in Eurasia, the majority of them are likely to belong to the Pongo clade (9,10). Ouranopithecus macedoniensis has often been considered to resemble African great apes (11,12), but it is known only from the Late Miocene of Greece, and its phyletic relationships are not yet agreed on (13). Because of the poor nature of the hominoid fossil record in Africa, some authors have suggested that a Eurasian Miocene hominoid returned to Africa in the Late Miocene to become the last common ancestor of the African great apes and humans (11,14).…”

“…Ouranopithecus macedoniensis has often been considered to resemble African great apes (11,12), but it is known only from the Late Miocene of Greece, and its phyletic relationships are not yet agreed on (13). Because of the poor nature of the hominoid fossil record in Africa, some authors have suggested that a Eurasian Miocene hominoid returned to Africa in the Late Miocene to become the last common ancestor of the African great apes and humans (11,14). Our recent fieldwork, however, has recovered a diverse primate fauna, including large-bodied hominoids, from the early Late Miocene of Nakali, Kenya (15).…”

Juvenile hominoid cranium from the late Miocene of southern China and hominoid diversity in Asia

“…The condition of these crania has allowed for different interpretations of their morphology and, consequently, different opinions regarding the phylogenetic position of Lufengpithecus (4,(8)(9)(10)(11). Nevertheless, most recent analyses propose a relationship to the Pongo clade, as either its nearest relative or as a stem member of the clade (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17).…”