Additional hominoid fossils from the early Miocene of the Lothidok Formation, Kenya

Rossie, B. James; Cote, Susanne

Additional hominoid fossils from the early Miocene of the Lothidok Formation, Kenya

dc.contributor.author	Rossie, B. James
dc.contributor.author	Cote, Susanne
dc.date.accessioned	2024-08-19T17:52:51Z
dc.date.available	2024-08-19T17:52:51Z
dc.date.issued	2022-07-24
dc.description	Wiley's OA policy can be found here: https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/licensing/self-archiving.html
dc.description.abstract	Objectives: Hominoid fossils are abundant at early Miocene fossil sites in the Lothidok Range, located directly west of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. The West Turkana Miocene Project (WTMP) has worked in the Lothidok Range since 2008 with the goal of further elucidating the paleobiology of the hominoids through the recovery of new specimens and detailed documentation of their paleoecological context. To date our research has focused largely on the Kalodirr and Moruorot Site Complexes, both radiometrically dated to ~ 17.5 – 16.8 Ma. Materials and Methods: Our ongoing fieldwork at the Kalodirr Site Complex resulted in the discovery of new dentognathic specimens of the three previously identified species of fossil hominoids – Turkanapithecus kalakolensis, Simiolus enjiessi, and Afropithecus turkanensis. Results: A new mandible and an isolated M3 of T. kalakolensis from Kalodirr further clarify the lower molar morphology of the species and permit identification of KNM-MO 1 as a mandible of T. kalakolensis. A new mandible of S. enjiessi provides evidence of the relative proportions of the first and second lower molars. A new male specimen of A. turkanensis shows unusual P4 morphology that may be a developmental anomaly or a previously unknown morphological variant. Discussion: An improved understanding of the lower molar morphology of T. kalakolensis further strengthens its identification as a nyanzapithecine. Our new specimens and subsequent re-identification of existing collections makes it clear that all three Lothidok hominoids are known from both the Moruorot and Kalodirr Site Complexes. The Lothidok Range holds great promise for further documenting hominoid evolution.
dc.description.sponsorship	Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada; Leakey Foundation; NSF, Grant/Award Number: BCS 1241817
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24594
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/119438
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.publisher.faculty	Arts	en
dc.publisher.hasversion	submittedVersion
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary	en
dc.rights	Unless otherwise indicated, this material is protected by copyright and has been made available with authorization from the copyright owner. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.	en
dc.rights	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/
dc.subject	Kalodirr
dc.subject	Moruorot
dc.subject	Afropithecus
dc.subject	Turkanapithecus
dc.subject	Simiolus
dc.title	Additional hominoid fossils from the early Miocene of the Lothidok Formation, Kenya
dc.type	Article
ucalgary.scholar.level	Faculty