Pierolapithecus catalaunicus is an extinct species of great ape that lived in what is now Europe about 12 million years ago. A remarkably complete, although partially distorted, skull and an associated skeleton of the primate was discovered in 2002 in Hostalets de Pierola, Catalonia, Spain. To better understand the evolutionary role of Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, paleoanthropologists from the American Museum of Natural History and elsewhere undertook a microCT-based virtual reconstruction of the primate’s skull.
Pierolapithecus catalaunicus was one of a diverse group of now-extinct ape species that lived in Europe around 15 to 7 million years ago.
The species is key to understanding the mosaic nature of hominid (great ape and human) evolution because it is known from a cranium and partial skeleton of the same individual — a rarity in the fossil record.
“Features of the skull and teeth are extremely important in resolving the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, and when we find this material in association with bones of the rest of the skeleton, it gives us the opportunity to not only accurately place the species on the hominid family tree, but also to learn more about the biology of the animal in terms of, for example, how it was moving around its environment,” said Dr. Kelsey Pugh, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History and Brooklyn College.
Previous works on Pierolapithecus catalaunicus suggested that an upright body plan preceded adaptations that allowed hominids to hang from tree branches and move among them.
However, debate persists about the species’ evolutionary place, partly due to damage to the skull.
“One of the persistent issues in studies of ape and human evolution is that the fossil record is fragmentary, and many specimens are incompletely preserved and distorted,” said Dr. Ashley Hammond, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History.
“This makes it difficult to reach a…
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