Paleoanthropological Exploration of the Otavi Mountain Land,Namibia

这项建议的主要目的是继续 奥塔维山洞穴沉积物的古生物勘探 产于纳米比亚北方。 在过去的一年里，康罗伊和同事们 在这一地区发现了第一个中新世人科动物， 南部非洲. 化石被命名为Otavipithecus， 显示出许多区别于其他 产于欧亚大陆和非洲其他地区的中中新世人科动物。 根据相关性推断，Otavipithecus的年代在1200万年到1400万年之间。 在奥塔维地区还发现了一些其他矿床 这需要系统的探索。 发现三 在贝格奥卡斯的奥塔维遗址发现了单独的化石动物群（两者都是 中新世和上新世-更新世）将允许调查人员追踪 动物群，并推断，古生态变化，通过雾凇， 非洲的这一部分。 Otavipithecus的发现大大扩展了 这一时期的古人类 因此， 东非和/或欧亚大陆作为类人猿进化的中心， 需要重新评估。 有迹象表明，中新世纳米比亚 相对潮湿，与半干旱条件相比， 渐新世和现代纳米比亚。 奥塔维矿床 提供脊椎动物进化信息的潜力， 非洲南部一段时间的古气候和生态变化 1600万年。

The primary objective of this proposal is to continue paleontological exploration of cave deposits in the Otavi Mountains of northern Namibia. During the past year Conroy and colleagues discovered in this area the first Miocene hominoid known from southern Africa. The fossil has been named Otavipithecus and it exhibits a number of features which differentiate it from other middle Miocene hominoids from Eurasia and other areas of Africa. Dating by association places Otavipithecus between 12 and 14 MYA. A number of other deposits have been identified in the Otavi region which require systematic exploration. The discovery of three separate fossil faunas at the Otavi site of Berg Aukas (both Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene) will allow the investigators to track faunal and, by inference, paleoecological changes through rime in this part of Africa. The discovery of Otavipithecus significantly extends the range of hominoids in this time period. As a result hypotheses which view East Africa and/or Eurasia as the foci for hominoid evolution may need to be re-evaluated. Indications are that Miocene Namibia was relatively humid in contrast to the semi-arid conditions of Oligocene and modern Namibia. The Otavi deposits have great potential for providing information on vertebrate evolution and paleoclimate and ecological change in Southern Africa over a span of 16 million years.