The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto, a 21 Ma site in Uganda
Date
2023-04-14
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Science
Abstract
Living hominoids are distinguished by upright torsos and versatile locomotion. It is
hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding on fruit from terminal branches in forests.
To investigate the evolutionary context of hominoid adaptive origins, multiple
paleoenvironmental proxies were analyzed in conjunction with hominoid fossils from the Moroto
II site, Uganda. The data indicate seasonally dry woodlands with the earliest evidence of
abundant C4 grasses in Africa based on a confirmed age of 21 Ma. We demonstrate that the leafeating hominoid Morotopithecus consumed water-stressed vegetation, while postcrania from the
site indicate ape-like locomotor adaptations. These findings suggest that the origin of hominoid
locomotor versatility is associated with foraging on leaves in heterogeneous, open woodlands,
rather than forests.
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Citation
MacLatchy, L. M., Cote, S. M., Deino, A. L., Kityo, R. M., Mugume, A. A. T., Rossie, J. B., Sanders, W. J., Cosman, M. N., Driese, S. G., Fox, D. L., Freeman, A. J., Jansma, R. J. W., Jenkins, K. E. H., Kinyanjui, R. N., Lukens, W. E., McNulty, K. P., Novello, A., Peppe, D. J., Strömberg, C. A. E., … Kingston, J. D. (2023). The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto, a 21 Ma site in Uganda. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 380(6641), eabq2835–eabq2835. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq2835