Paracolobus is an extinct genus of primate closely related to the living colobus monkeys. It lived in eastern Africa in the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene.[1] Fossils have been found in Kenya and Ethiopia, in places such as the Omo valley.[2]

Paracolobus
Temporal range: Pliocene–Early Pleistocene
Paracolobus chemeroni
Holotype specimen of P. chemeroni (AMNH 129319)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Colobinae
Genus: Paracolobus
R.E.F. Leakey, 1969
Type species
Paracolobus chemeroni
Leakey, 1969
Species
  • Paracolobus chemeroni
  • Paracolobus enkorikae
  • Paracolobus mutiwa

Description

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Species of Paracolobus were large monkeys; P. chemeroni is estimated to have weighed between 30–50 kg (66–110 lb),[3] while P. mutiwa and the comparatively small P. enkorikae have been estimated at 39 kg (86 lb) and 9 kg (20 lb), respectively.[4] Compared to another giant monkey Cercopithecoides, Paracolobus had a longer face and deeper jaws. It had a longer cranium, broader muzzle, wider face and longer nasal bone than its closest relative, the extinct Rhinocolobus.[5] Its dentition was similar to modern colobus monkeys, indicating a largely folivorous diet.[4] Despite its large size, it was probably arboreal like its modern relatives.

References

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  1. ^ McKenna and Bell, 1997, p. 344
  2. ^ Leakey, Meave G. (1982). "Extinct large colobines from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 58 (2): 153–172. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330580207.
  3. ^ Brooks, Alison S. (2004). Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory: Second Edition. Taylor & Francis. p. 188. ISBN 9781135582289.
  4. ^ a b Fleagle, John G. (2013). Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Elsevier Science. pp. 353–408. ISBN 9781483288505.
  5. ^ Werdelin, Lars; Sanders, William Joseph (2010). Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. University of California Press. p. 405. ISBN 9780520257214.

Literature cited

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  • McKenna, M.C. and Bell, S.K. 1997. Classification of Mammals: Above the species level. New York: Columbia University Press, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8