This past summer, University of Toronto researchers were the first to uncover a unique male Anapithecus fossil.
Members of the genus Anapithecus , a side branch in the tree of primate evolution, lived 10 million years ago in the Miocene epoch, about 55 million years after the dinosaurs died out. This fossil find is the first complete male Anapithecus maxilla to be discovered. Located in the roof of the mouth, the maxilla forms the upper jaw. It is comprised of two bones—one for each side of the skull—that join at the midline, or centre, of the face. Both sides of the fossil have the canines, the premolars, and the molars in place. The large size of the canines enabled researchers to identify the fossil as male. Having such a complete set of teeth in a single maxilla allows researchers to compare isolated molar fossils to determine whether they are male or female.
The excavation was carried out by the Rudabanya Hominid Origins Project, a research project run by Dr. David Begun of the University of Toronto and Dr. Laszlo Kordos of the Geological Institute of Hungary. The fossil was found by Dr. Begun’s graduate students during an excavation at Rudabanya, a town in the northern region of Hungary. Other fossils found at the site include a female Anapithecus mandible, a rhino innominate (or hip bone), an entire hipparion forelimb, and several Anapithecus teeth.
The Rudabanya Hominid Origins Project has gone to the Rudabanya site every summer for many years to investigate the genus Rudapithecus, a human ancestor. Anapithecus , previously known as Dryopithecus, inhabited Rudabanya 10 million years ago, and was likely a very early great ape. Great apes today include gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans. Learning about ape evolution is key to understanding how we evolved.
Once a subtropical swamp on the edge of an inland sea, Rudabanya was home to a variety of species, including amphibians, beavers, mastodons, and the hipparion, a three-toed ancestor of the horse. The sea has since dried up, but a large number of fossils remain. These bones bear markings that give researchers clues about the animal’s life. This method of studying fossils is called “functional anatomy,” and is a key component of Dr. Begun’s research. Good indicators of lifestyle are the phalanges, or finger bones. Strongly curved phalanges indicate strong muscles for grasping, as these muscles exert stress on the bone itself, curving it during the animal’s lifetime. The elbow joint is another clue, and can show if an animal swung from branches, like a gibbon, or walked on their hands, like a gorilla. Anapithecus and Rudapithecus fossils suggest they lived in trees, prompting researchers to speculate Rudabanya was previously a forested swamp.
