Theropithecus Explained
Theropithecus is a genus of primates in the family Cercopithecidae. It contains a single living species, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), native to the Ethiopian Highlands.
Additional species are known from fossils, including:
The earliest remains probably belonging to the genus are from Kanapoi, Kenya, dating to the early Pliocene, around 4.1-4.2 million years ago.
Although most remains are known from Africa, during the Early Pleistocene the genus had a broader distribution ranging from southern Europe, including Spain[4] and possibly Italy,[5] to the Indian subcontinent.[6]
Notes and References
- Book: Turner, Alan . Antón, Mauricio . Evolving Eden, An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large-Mammal Fauna . Columbia University Press . 2004 . New York . 55.
- Getahun, D. A., Delson, E., & Seyoum, C. M. (2023). A review of Theropithecus oswaldi with the proposal of a new subspecies. Journal of human evolution, 180, 103373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103373
- Web site: The Paleobiology Database . 11 August 2013.
- Ferràndez-Cañadell . Carles . Ribot . Francesc . Gibert . Lluís . September 2014 . New fossil teeth of Theropithecus oswaldi (Cercopithecoidea) from the Early Pleistocene at Cueva Victoria (SE Spain) . Journal of Human Evolution . en . 74 . 55–66 . 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.02.020. subscription .
- Patel . Biren A. . Gilbert . Christopher C. . Ericson . Kristin E. . February 2007 . Cercopithecoid cervical vertebral morphology and implications for the presence of Theropithecus in early Pleistocene Europe . Journal of Human Evolution . en . 52 . 2 . 113–129 . 10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.07.014. subscription .
- Patnaik . Rajeev . Cerling . Thure E. . Uno . Kevin T. . Fleagle . John G. . April 2014 . Diet and Habitat of Siwalik Primates Indopithecus, Sivaladapis and Theropithecus . Annales Zoologici Fennici . en . 51 . 1-2 . 123–142 . 10.5735/086.051.0214 . 0003-455X. subscription .
