Ouranopithecus

Ouranopithecus is a genus of extinct Eurasian great ape represented by two species, Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, a late Miocene (9.6–8.7 mya) hominoid from Greece^[1] and Ouranopithecus turkae, also from the late Miocene (8.7–7.4 mya) of Turkey.^[2]

Ouranopithecus Temporal range: Miocene, 9.6–7.4 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Ouranopithecus macedoniensis skull in the French National Museum of Natural History, Paris
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Tribe:	†Graecopithecini
Genus:	†Ouranopithecus Bonis & Melentis, 1977
Species
†Ouranopithecus macedoniensis †Ouranopithecus turkae

The first specimen O. macedoniensis was discovered by French palaeontologists Louis de Bonis and Jean Melentis in 1977,^[3] and O. turkae by Turkish team led by Erksin Savaş Güleç in 2007.^[2] For a long time it was considered as similar (synonymous) to Graecopithecus and member of the genus Sivapithecus,^[4] which more discoveries proved otherwise.

Description and systematics

Based on O. macedoniensis' dental and facial anatomy, it has been suggested that Ouranopithecus was actually a dryopithecine. However, it is probably more closely related to the Ponginae.^[5][6] Some researchers consider O. macedoniensis to be the last common ancestor of humans (hominins) and the other apes,^[7] and a forerunner to australopithecines and humans,^[8] although this is very controversial and not widely accepted. It is true that O. macedoniensis shares derived features with some early hominins (such as the frontal sinus, a cavity in the forehead), but they are almost certainly not closely related species.^[9]

In 1984, British palaeontologists Peter Andrews and Lawrence B. Martin classified Graecopithecus and Ouranopithecus as synonyms (same taxon) and treated them as members of the genus Sivapithecus.^[10][11] However, comparative analysis showed that there is not enough data to support the synonymy.^[12]

When more O. macedoniensis fossils were discovered^[13] including part of the skull in the 1990s,^[14] it became apparent that O. macedoniensis and G. freybergi are distinct species. In the light of new data, in 1997, Australian palaeontologist David W. Cameron treated Graecopithecus as a valid genus based on taxonomic priority and renamed O. macedoniensis as Graecopithecus macedoniensis.^[15][16] However, better O. macedoniensis specimens were found^[17] including a new species Ouranopithecus turkae from Turkey^[18] that warranted separation of the genus.

In addition, a meticulous re-description of Graecopithecus specimens in 2017 further evidenced that Graecopithecus is more related to humans than to apes,^[19] while Ouranopithecus specimens have strict ape-like characters. Separate genus are therefore continued to be generally adopted.^[20][21][22]

See also

• Anoiapithecus – Extinct genus of ape from the Miocene
• Chororapithecus – Extinct hominine genus from the Miocene
• Dryopithecus – Extinct great ape from Europe
• Nakalipithecus – Extinct species of ape
• Pierolapithecus – Extinct species of ape from Miocene Europe
• Samburupithecus – Extinct genus of primate from Miocene Kenya