Analyses of New Miocene Hominoids

1941年，刘易斯·利基博士在肯尼亚西部卢辛加岛的沉积物中发现了一种名为“Proconsul”的灵长类化石遗骸。在过去的几年里，在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，艾伦·沃克博士和他的同事们系统地挖掘了原始和新发现的遗址，以增加Proconsul遗骸的样本。迄今为止，他们已经收集了800多个标本。颅后遗骸特别值得注意，分析表明，至少有九个人，年龄从婴儿期到成年期，都有代表。在持续的支持下，dr。Walker， Teaford及其同事将继续收集材料。然而，他们将把注意力集中在整个样本的修复和分析上。由于许多标本处于支离破碎的状态，大量的修复和修复是必要的。研究人员将对骨骼的某些区域，如骨盆，提供第一个功能解释。他们还将应用相对较新的方法，如有限元结垢分析和牙齿微磨损分析，来帮助确定生长是如何发生的，以及Proconsul是如何在环境中移动和利用的。Proconsul属在中新世（大约2500万到400万年前）繁盛。这一时期见证了许多类人猿物种的出现和繁衍，包括地方总督。虽然大多数都灭绝了，但有一条进化出了非洲类人猿和人类。虽然Proconsul可能不属于这一直系后裔，但它可以提供有关这一谱系出现的更普遍群体的重要信息。这个样本特别重要，因为它包括许多颅后标本，由于它们的脆弱性质，通常在灵长类动物化石记录中代表性不足。有了这些遗骸，将有可能获得几个Proconsul物种的更完整的图像，并确定它们如何在环境中移动。许多科学家不仅对研究小组的结论感兴趣，而且对基本数据也感兴趣。

In 1941, Dr. Lewis Leakey discovered the remains of a fossil primate termed "Proconsul" in deposits on Rusinga Island in Western Kenya. Over the last several years with NSF support, Dr. Alan Walker and his colleagues have systematically excavated at the original and newly discovered sites to increase the sample of Proconsul remains. To date, they have collected well over 800 specimens. Postcranial remains are particularly noteworthy, and analysis indicates that at least nine individuals, ranging in age from infancy through adulthood, are represented. With continued support, Drs. Walker, Teaford and colleagues will continue to collect material. They will, however, focus their attention on the restoration and analysis of the entire sample. Since many specimens are in a fragmentary state, extensive refitting and restoration is necessary. The investigators will provide the first functional interpretations of certain areas of the skeleton, such as the pelvis. They will also apply relatively new methods such as finite element scaling analysis and dental microwear analyses to help determine how growth occurred and how Proconsul moved through and utilized its environment. The genus Proconsul flourished during the Miocene, which dates from ca. 25 to 4 million years ago. This period saw the appearance and radiation of many species of apes, including the Proconsuls. While most went extinct, one line led to the African great apes and to humans. While Proconsul probably lies outside this direct line of descent, it can provide important information on the more general group from which this lineage emerged. This sample is particularly important because it includes many postcranial specimens which because of their fragile nature are generally underrepresented in the primate fossil record. With these remains, it will be possible to obtain a more complete picture of the several Proconsul species and to determine how they moved through their environment. Many scientists will be interested not only in the team's conclusions, but also in the basic data.