Papio Cranium from the Hominin-Bearing Site of Malapa: Implications for the Evolution of Modern Baboon Cranial Morphology and South African Plio-Pleistocene Biochronology.
A new partial cranium (UW 88-886) of the Plio-Pleistocene baboon Papio angusticeps from Malapa is identified, described and discussed. UW 88-886 represents the only non-hominin primate yet recovered from Malapa and is important both in the context of baboon evolution as well as South African hominin site biochronology. The new specimen may represent the first appearance of modern baboon anatomy and coincides almost perfectly with molecular divergence date estimates for the origin of the modern P. hamadryas radiation. The fact that the Malapa specimen is dated between ~2.026-2.36 million years ago (Ma) also has implications for the biochronology of other South African Plio-Pleistocene sites where P. angusticeps is found.
Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, United States of America; PhD Programs in Anthropology and Biology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States of America; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, United States of America.
Christopher C
CC
Gilbert
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
Christine M
CM
Steininger
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
Job M
JM
Kibii
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
Lee R
LR
Berger
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D015186:Hominidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010215:Papio / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D048529:Papio hamadryas / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013019:South Africa