Study for Miocene Hominoids and Their Palaeoenvironment in East Africa

我们对原始人起源的了解非常有限，而这是现代人类学中一个有趣而重要的课题。由于东非晚中新世人类起源的可能性很高，本研究项目是在对非洲中新世古人类的演化研究和古环境分析的基础上进行的。在肯尼亚北部和扎伊尔东部，进行了古人类学、地质学和古生物调查。通过野外季节发现了许多化石标本。这些分类群延伸到中新世中晚期的哺乳动物、爬行动物、鱼类、软体动物和树木，其中包括一种大型原始人，肯雅原始人、尼亚齐普斯原始人和维多利亚原始人。在肯尼亚北部桑布鲁丘陵的纳穆伦古勒组(9 Ma)中发现了一种大型原始人，桑布鲁原始人，其环境被认为是林地或稀树草原，因为牛类和马类的共存与北非和Europ…相似在肯尼亚北部纳乔拉地区的Aka-Aitheputh组(15 Ma)也发现了大量的中型人猿标本。动物群和花群表明，这种原始人可能生活在森林环境中。磨牙釉质分析表明，这两种原始人的食物可能是坚硬的物质。在Kenyapithecus中发现了高度的性别二型性，而在Samburu原始人中则不清楚。肯雅猿的基本运动模式可能是四足结合垂直攀爬活动。由于可能存在陆生杂食性习性，巨大的身体和蛇齿的结合可能暗示了Samburu类人猿早期两足行走的可能性。证据不支持西蒙斯和皮尔比姆最早的肯雅皮特库斯的原始人理论。Samburu类人族的系统发育地位尚不清楚，但有一定的可能性成为类人族中最早的成员。在东非的桑布鲁丘陵和其他遗址继续挖掘是非常必要的。较少

Our knowledge of hominid origin is very limited while it is an interesting and importnat subject in modern anthropology. This research project has approached it on the basis of the evolutionalry study of African Miocene Hominoids and analysis of the palaeoenvironment, because of a very high possibility of the hominid origin in East Africa of late Miocene. In northern Kenya and eastern Zaire, palaeoanthropological, geological and palaeontological surveys have been conducted.Many fossil specimens were discovered through the field seasons. The taxa extend to Mammals, reptiles, fishes, molluscas and trees of the middle-late Miocene including a large hominoid, Kenyapithecus, Nyanzapithecus and Victoria-pithecus.A large hominoid, Samburu hominoid, was discovered from the Namurungule Formation (9Ma) in Samburu Hills, northern Kenya, of which environment is supposed to be a woodland or savanna because of a coexistence of bovids and equids which are similar to those of northern Africa and Europ … More e. A great number of specimens of middle-sized hominoids, Kenyapithecus were also discovered from Aka-Aitheputh Formation (15Ma) in Nachola area in northern Kenya. The faunal and floral assembleges show that this hominoid might have lived in a forest environment.Molar enamel analysis tells the food of both hominoids might have been hard stuffs. A highly sexual dimorphism was seen in Kenyapithecus while it is not clear in Samburu hominoid. A basic locomotor pattern of Kenyapithecus might be quadrupedalism with a vertical climbing activity. A combination of large-sized body and bunodont molar may suggest some possibility of an incipient bipedalism in Samburu hominoid, because of a possibility of terrestrial omnivorous habit.The evidences do not support the earliest hominid theory of Kenyapithecus by Simons and Pilbeam. The phylogenic status of the Samburu hominoid is not clear but there is some possibility as an earliest member of hominids. It is very necessary to continue excavations in the Samburu Hills and other sites in East Africa. Less