Timestone
3
20 million years ago
Morotopithecus bishopi
This is the earliest evidence so far of a primate
that shares traits with modern apes and humans. Its upper jaw is like
that of a primitive ape, but shoulder bones and vertebrae (spine bones)
are more like those of modern apes.
Morotopithecus lived when apes were evolving into a wide variety
of species and were more common than monkeys. At that time most apes
climbed through the trees on all fours. Morotopithecus was able to
hang and swing from branch to branch. Some scientists think this species
may belong in the line of human ancestors.
Cast of fossil palate (roof of the mouth)
Morotopithecus bishopi
Found at Moroto, Uganda, in Africa, in the 1960s by W. Bishop and
his team, and described in 1997 by Daniel Gebo, Laura MacLatchy, and
colleagues
Age: around 20 million years
Today's
Primates
About 300 species live today
From lemurs to humans, primates are all part of the same family
tree, connected by a common ancient ancestor. Today, most of
the more than 300 species and subspecies live in tropical and
subtropical habitats around the globe. Humans are the only primates
that are found in a wide variety of habitats worldwide.
Chimpanzees are our closest kin
DNA reveals primate relationships. The smaller the difference
in DNA between two species, the closer the relationship and
the more recently their lineages split. DNA evidence so far
shows that gorillas and humans split between 10 and 8 million
years ago. Chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, diverged
from the human line later-between 7 and 5 million years ago.
Global
climate turned warmer and drier.
Twenty million years ago Earth's climate
was warm and dry, especially in Africa. The continents were
almost in their current positions, except South America, which
was an "island." Africa and Eurasia were connected
by a land bridge that allowed early apes to spread from Africa
into Asia, India, and Europe.
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Mbongo, a
mountain gorilla
Gorilla gorilla beringei
In 1930, when Mbongo was about 4 years
old, he was captured in what is now the Democratic Republic
of Congo and brought to the U.S. He lived at the San Diego Zoo
until his death from valley fever in 1942. Although he weighed
618 pounds (281 kg) when he died, he was not yet a mature adult.
While he was alive, Mbongo showed the public that gorillas are
intelligent and gentle. In this exhibit he serves as a symbol
of the endangered status of many primates.
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