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''Anapithecus'' (pronounced Ana-PITH-i-kuhs; from Greek πίθηκος pithekos "ape") is a late
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
primate (10 million years old) known from fossil locations in
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. Many ''Anapithecus'' fossils come from the site of Rudabánya, in northern Hungary, where ''Anapithecus'' lived alongside the ape '' Rudapithecus''. The only species in the genus, ''Anapithecus hernyaki'', is named after Gabor Hernyák, chief geologist of the Iron Ore Works of Rudabánya.


Classification and phylogeny

''Anapithecus'' belongs to the clade
Pliopithecoidea Pliopithecoidea is an extinct superfamily of catarrhine primates that inhabited Asia and Europe during the Miocene. Although they were once a widespread and diverse group of primates, the pliopithecoids have no living descendants. History of d ...
, an extinct group of primates that inhabited
Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...
during the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
epoch (17-7 million years ago). Pliopithecoids are
catarrhine The parvorder Catarrhini (known commonly as catarrhine monkeys, Old World anthropoids, or Old World monkeys) consists of the Cercopithecoidea and apes (Hominoidea). In 1812, Geoffroy grouped those two groups together and established the name Ca ...
primates, sharing a common ancestor, and many physical characteristics, with both
ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a superfamily of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and Europe in prehistory, and counting humans are found global ...
s and
Old World monkey Old World monkeys are primates in the family Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons (genus '' Papio''), red colobus (genus '' Piliocolob ...
s. Evolutionarily speaking pliopithecoids are considered to be a primitive side-branch of the
catarrhine The parvorder Catarrhini (known commonly as catarrhine monkeys, Old World anthropoids, or Old World monkeys) consists of the Cercopithecoidea and apes (Hominoidea). In 1812, Geoffroy grouped those two groups together and established the name Ca ...
family tree, which diverged over 20 million years ago, prior to the split between apes and Old World monkeys. Among the pliopithecoids, ''Anapithecus'' is classified as a crouzeliine. The crouzeliines are characterized by having
molars The molars or molar teeth are large, flat tooth, teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammal, mammals. They are used primarily to comminution, grind food during mastication, chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, '' ...
with high, sharp crests and deep occlusal basins. These crests have been suggested to be indicative of
folivory In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less energy than other types of foods, and often toxic compounds.Jones, S., Martin, R., & Pilbeam, D. (1 ...
.


Physical characteristics

''Anapithecus'' weighed approximately 15 kg, about the same size as large adult
gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast Indi ...
. Similar to other pliopithecoids ''Anapithecus'' had a relatively short face, broad orbits with projecting rims, low cheekbones, and a globular skull. Although similar in size to a gibbon, the jaw bone of ''Anapithecus'' is much deeper and more robust. ''Anapithecus'' is defined by a series of unique dental characteristics. Most notable among these is the distinctive system of crests found on the first lower molar. The crests form a Y shape between the cusps of the teeth (although this is not to be confused with Y-5 pattern found on the lower molars of apes). Less is known about postcranial morphology of ''Anapithecus'', as the majority of fossils consist of teeth. Still, analyses have determined that ''Anapithecus'' was most likely a suspensory arboreal primate, which swung below from tree branch to tree branch, akin to an ape. This stands in contrast to the smaller pliopithecoids which were thought to walk atop the branches of trees, more similar to monkey.


Paleoecology and life history

The site of Rudabánya, at which the majority of ''Anapithecus'' fossils have been discovered, is located in north-eastern Hungary. During the late Miocene, Rudabánya was a humid subtropical forested swamp. A diverse collection of fauna have been collected from Rudabánya, including
flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe (biology), tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family (biology), family Squirrel, Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight i ...
s,
tree squirrel Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel Family (biology), family (Sciuridae) commonly just referred to as "squirrels". They include more than 100 arboreal species native to all continents except Antarctica and Oceania. They do not form a ...
s,
hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian ...
s,
weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slend ...
s,
beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
s, reptiles,
mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...
s,
rhinoceros A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
es, as well as the primitive “bear-dog” ''
Amphicyon ''Amphicyon'' is an extinct genus of large carnivorans belonging to the family Amphicyonidae (known colloquially as "bear-dogs"), subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Miocene epoch. Members of this family received their vernacular name for possessin ...
'', and the three-toed horse '' Hippotherium''. ''Anapithecus'' also shared its habitat with the Miocene ape, '' Rudapithecus''. Although the elongated sharp crested molars of ''Anapithecus'' suggest a folivorous diet, more rigorous analyses have determined that both ''Anapithecus'' and ''Rudapithecus'' were both primarily
frugivorous A frugivore ( ) is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance ...
. ''Anapithecus'' likely supplemented its diet with leaves, whereas ''Rudapithecus'' likely consumed
pericarp Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Fruitlike structures may develop directly from the seed itself rather th ...
fruits as a fall back. Analysis of the enamel micro-structure of ''Anapithecus'' shows that its dental development was similar in rate to that of Old World monkeys (particularly macaques). The first lower molar erupts at 1.45 months, then the second and third molars erupt at 2.2 and 3.2 years. This eruption time is faster than any living catarrhine primate of similar size.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5674435 Pliopithecidae Miocene primates of Europe Monotypic prehistoric primate genera Fossil taxa described in 1975