Oreopithecus bambolii: an unlikely case of hominid-like grip capability in a Miocene ape.
Oreopithecus bambolii, an ape from the late Miocene of Italy, is said to possess a hand capable of a precision grip like that of humans. Relative hand length, proportions of the thumb, and morphological features of the thumb and wrist were adduced to support the idea that Oreopithecus had a hand that closely matched the pattern in Australopithecus. A reappraisal of earlier arguments and comparisons of Oreopithecus with humans, apes, and Old World monkeys, reveals that Oreopithecus had an essentially ape-like hand that emphasized ape-like power grasping over human-like precision grasping.
Susman
Randall L
RL
Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8081, USA. randall.susman@stonybrook.edu
D000818:Animals; D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D000886:Anthropometry; D005580:Fossils; D018737:Hand Strength; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015186:Hominidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D013933:Thumb / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014953:Wrist / Q000033:anatomy & histology