Paracolobus Temporal range: Pliocene–Early Pleistocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ | |
---|---|
Holotype specimen of P. chemeroni (AMNH 129319) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Cercopithecidae |
Subfamily: | Colobinae |
Genus: | †Paracolobus R.E.F. Leakey, 1969 |
Type species | |
†Paracolobus chemeroni Leakey, 1969 | |
Species | |
|
Paracolobus is an extinct genus of primate closely related to the living colobus monkeys. It lived in eastern Africa in the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. Fossils have been found in Kenya and Ethiopia, in places such as the Omo valley.
Description
Species of Paracolobus were large monkeys; P. chemeroni is estimated to have weighed between 30–50 kg (66–110 lb), while P. mutiwa and the comparatively small P. enkorikae have been estimated at 39 kg (86 lb) and 9 kg (20 lb), respectively. Compared to another giant monkey Cercopithecoides, Paracolobus had a longer face and deeper jaws. It had a longer cranium, broader muzzle, wider face and longer nasal bone than its closest relative, the extinct Rhinocolobus. Its dentition was similar to modern colobus monkeys, indicating a largely folivorous diet. Despite its large size, it was probably arboreal like its modern relatives.
References
- McKenna and Bell, 1997, p. 344
- Leakey, Meave G. (1982). "Extinct large colobines from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 58 (2): 153–172. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330580207.
- Brooks, Alison S. (2004). Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory: Second Edition. Taylor & Francis. p. 188. ISBN 9781135582289.
- ^ Fleagle, John G. (2013). Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Elsevier Science. pp. 353–408. ISBN 9781483288505.
- Werdelin, Lars; Sanders, William Joseph (2010). Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. University of California Press. p. 405. ISBN 9780520257214.
Literature cited
- McKenna, M.C. and Bell, S.K. 1997. Classification of Mammals: Above the species level. New York: Columbia University Press, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8
Taxon identifiers | |
---|---|
Paracolobus |
This prehistoric primate-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
This Old World monkey-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |