Theropithecus oswaldi

Theropithecus oswaldi is an extinct species of Theropithecus from the early to middle Pleistocene of Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, Spain, Morocco and Algeria.[1] It appears to have been a specialised grazer.[2] The species went extinct in South Africa around 1.0 Ma.[3] Having existed alongside hominins like Homo erectus, it is likely that conflict with early humans played a role in their extinction as a site has been found with many juveniles butchered.[4] [5]

Theropithecus oswaldi
Temporal range: Pleistocene
Fragmented jaw
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Genus: Theropithecus
Species:
†T. oswaldi
Binomial name
†Theropithecus oswaldi
(Andrews, 1916)
Subspecies
  • †T. o. oswaldi
  • † T. o. ecki
Synonyms
  • Simopithecus oswaldi Andrews, 1916
  • Simopithecus jonathoni

Description

It is remarkable for its large size compared to other old world monkeys. One source projects a specimen of Theropithecus oswaldi to have weighed 72 kg (159 lb).[6] Postcranial fossils found of this species are much greater in size than extant papionins, including the mandrill.[7]

References
  1. "The Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  2. Van der Merwe, et al., 2003. The carbon isotope ecology and diet of Australopithecus africanus at Sterkfontein, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 44: 581-597.
  3. Faith, J.T., 2014. Late Pleistocene and Holocene mammal extinctions on continental Africa. Earth-Science Reviews 128: 105-121
  4. Shipman, Pat; Bosler, Wendy (June 1981). "Butchering of Giant Geladas at an Acheulian Site". Current Anthropology. 22: 257–288. doi:10.1086/202663. JSTOR 2742201. S2CID 87006937 – via JSTOR.
  5. 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
  6. Jablonski, Nina; Leakey, Meave; Anton, Mauricio (1 January 2008), Jablonski, N.G. Leakey, M.G. and Anton, M. (2008) Systematic Paleontology of the Cercopithecines. In: Jablonski, N.G. and Leakey, M.G. (eds.) Koobi Fora Research Project. Volume 6. The Fossil Monkeys. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, pp. 103–300., pp. 103–300, retrieved 3 May 2020
  7. Geraads, Denis; de Bonis, Louis (6 Feb 2020). "First record of Theropithecus (Cercopithecidae) from the Republic of Djibouti". Journal of Human Evolution. 138: 102686. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102686. PMID 31759254. S2CID 208254366.


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