Paleontologists have found the remains Mesopotamian pantalicus – An endangered species of Old World monkey living in Europe and Asia millions of years ago – at the Shutangba Lignite Mine in China’s northeastern Yunnan Province. The discovery suggests that this monkey species is the most common APS in Asia. Existed just like, and is probably the ancestor of some of the modern monkeys in the area.
Reconstruction of life Mesopotamian pantalicus. Image Credit: Mauricio Antón.
“This is significant because they are some of the most ancient fossils of monkeys outside of Africa,” said Nina Jablonsky, an anthropologist at Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Anthropology.
“It is close to or really close to many live monkeys in East Asia. An interesting thing from the perspective of paleontology is that this monkey occurs in the same place and at the same time as the ancient ape in Asia. “
Professor Jablonsky and colleagues studied the 6.4 million-year-old lower jaw bone and the upper leg bone found in the Shutangba mine.
Both specimens were found nearby and probably belong to the same person Mesopotamian pantalicus.
Slightly unclamped was the left calcaneus (heel bone) of the same species.
The research team of this sample is from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the cultural relics of Don Xuoping Gin and the University of Yunnan.
“The significance of the calcaneus is that it reveals that the monkeys were adapted to move on the ground and on the trees, nimly and powerfully.”
“This locomotive versatility undoubtedly contributed to the species’ success in dispersing the woodland corridors from Europe to Asia.”
The upper part of the jaw and leg bones indicate that the person was female.
They suggest that these monkeys were probably ‘jacks of all trade’, able to navigate trees and land.
Teeth suggest that they eat a variety of plants, fruits and flowers, while caterpillars eat mostly fruit.
“The interesting thing about these monkeys, as we know them from nuclear anthropology, is that, like other colobines (Old World monkeys), they had the ability to ferment cellulose,” said Professor Jablonsky.
“It had a cow-like gut.”
These monkeys are successful because they can eat high quality food in cellulose and get enough energy by fermenting the food and using the subsequent fatty acids available from the bacteria. The same route is used by bright animals like cows, deer and goats.
“Monkeys and clowns would have eaten basically different things,” said Professor Jablonsky.
“Monkeys eat fruits, flowers and easy-to-digest things, while monkeys eat leaves, seeds and more mature leaves.”
“Because of these different digestion, they don’t need to drink free water, to get their own water from the plant.”
These monkeys do not need to be close to water carcasses and can survive for periods of dramatic climate change.
“These monkeys are similar to those seen in Greece during the same period,” said Professor Jablonsky.
“It simply came to our notice then that they were spreading from one center to another in Central Europe and they did it very quickly. It’s impressive when you think about how long it takes for an animal to spread thousands of kilometers away through the jungle and woodlands. “
When there is evidence that Mesopotamian pantalicus Began in Eastern Europe and exited from there, the exact pattern is unknown, but from an evolutionary point of view it was quick to disperse.
By the end of the Miocene, when this species of monkey was emerging from Eastern Europe, dishes were becoming extinct everywhere, except in Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.
The late Moosin was a time of dramatic environmental change, said Professor Jabalonski.
“What we have on this site is an amazing snapshot of Moosini’s end – complete with one of the last jokes and one of the new orders of monkeys.”
“This is an interesting case in Primate Evolution as it confirms the value of diversity and adaptability to diverse and changing environments.”
“It shows that once a very favorable form is determined, it succeeds and can become the ancestral stock of many other species.”
This research appears in two papers Journal of Human Evolution.
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Nina G. Jablansky Et al. 2020. Mesopotamian pantalicus Zyotong, from China, an eastern representative of an extended Miocene sarcopticoid species. Journal of Human Evolution 146: 102851; doi: 10.1016 / j.jhevol.2020.102851
Xuiping g Et al. 2020. The oldest Colobin calcinius from East Asia (Zatong, Yunnan, China) Journal of Human Evolution 147: 102866; doi: 10.1016 / j.jhevol.2020.102866
