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Theropithecus
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| Theropithecus Temporal range: Pliocene-Recent
| |
|---|---|
| Male gelada | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Cercopithecinae |
| Tribe: | Papionini |
| Genus: | Theropithecus I. Geoffroy, 1843 |
| Type species | |
| Theropithecus gelada (Rüppell, 1835)
| |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Theropithecus is a genus of primates in the family Cercopithecidae. It contains a single living species, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), native to the Ethiopian Highlands.
Additional species are known from fossils, including:
The earliest remains probably belonging to the genus are from Kanapoi, Kenya, dating to the early Pliocene, around 4.1-4.2 million years ago.[2]
Although most remains are known from Africa,[2] during the Early Pleistocene the genus had a broader distribution ranging from southern Europe, including Spain[4] and possibly Italy,[5] to the Indian subcontinent.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Turner, Alan; Antón, Mauricio (2004). Evolving Eden, An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large-Mammal Fauna. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 55.
- ^ a b c Getahun, D. A., Delson, E., & Seyoum, C. M. (2023). A review of Theropithecus oswaldi with the proposal of a new subspecies. Journal of human evolution, 180, 103373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103373
- ^ "The Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ Ferràndez-Cañadell, Carles; Ribot, Francesc; Gibert, Lluís (September 2014). "New fossil teeth of Theropithecus oswaldi (Cercopithecoidea) from the Early Pleistocene at Cueva Victoria (SE Spain)". Journal of Human Evolution. 74: 55–66. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.02.020.
- ^ Patel, Biren A.; Gilbert, Christopher C.; Ericson, Kristin E. (February 2007). "Cercopithecoid cervical vertebral morphology and implications for the presence of Theropithecus in early Pleistocene Europe". Journal of Human Evolution. 52 (2): 113–129. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2006.07.014.
- ^ Patnaik, Rajeev; Cerling, Thure E.; Uno, Kevin T.; Fleagle, John G. (April 2014). "Diet and Habitat of Siwalik Primates Indopithecus, Sivaladapis and Theropithecus". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 51 (1–2): 123–142. doi:10.5735/086.051.0214. ISSN 0003-455X.
Theropithecus
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Theropithecus is a genus of Old World monkeys in the family Cercopithecidae, subfamily Cercopithecinae, and tribe Papionini, best known for its sole extant species, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), a large, stocky, graminivorous primate endemic to the highland grasslands of Ethiopia.[1][2] The genus originated in the late Miocene or early Pliocene, approximately 4–5 million years ago, and includes several extinct species—such as T. brumpti (ca. 4.0–2.5 Ma) and T. oswaldi (ca. 2.0–0.25 Ma)—that were abundant and dominant members of primate communities across East and South Africa, as well as southern Asia, during the Plio-Pleistocene.[3][4]
These primates are characterized by specialized adaptations for a terrestrial, grass-based diet, including high-crowned molars with thick enamel for grinding tough vegetation and a robust postcranial skeleton suited to shuffle-gait locomotion on open landscapes.[1][5] Extinct species of Theropithecus were significantly larger than modern geladas, with T. oswaldi reaching body masses up to 40–50 kg, and exhibited dietary shifts toward nearly exclusive consumption of C4 grasses (e.g., via stable carbon isotope analysis showing δ¹³C values near -0.7‰ in late forms).[3] Fossils of the genus frequently co-occur with early hominins at sites like the Turkana Basin and Olduvai Gorge, suggesting ecological overlap and potential competition for resources, as Theropithecus diets were more C4-dominated than those of contemporaneous Australopithecus or early Homo but similar to Paranthropus boisei.[3][6]
The modern gelada (T. gelada), first scientifically described in 1835 by Eduard Rüppell as Macacus gelada, inhabits altitudes of 1,500–4,500 m in montane grasslands and cliffside areas, where it forages primarily on grasses (>90% of diet) using precise manual dexterity despite lacking fully opposable thumbs.[1][2] Adults weigh 11–18.5 kg, with males featuring a distinctive "cape" of long hair and a bare, red chest patch used in visual displays; they live in complex multimale-multifemale units averaging 20–150 individuals, emphasizing social grooming and vocalizations over aggression.[1] The genus's evolutionary trajectory reflects broader Plio-Pleistocene environmental changes, including the expansion of open savannas, leading to its peak diversity around 2–1 Ma before a decline to near-extinction, with the surviving gelada population estimated at approximately 200,000 individuals as of 2008 and listed as Least Concern by the IUCN (2008), though the subspecies T. g. arsi is classified as Endangered (IUCN 2025) due to habitat loss and hunting.[1][3][4][7]