| Dinopithecus | |
|---|---|
%2c_DNMNH_archive.png) | |
| Dinopithecus ingens skull. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Cercopithecinae |
| Tribe: | Papionini |
| Genus: | †Dinopithecus Broom,1937 |
| Species: | †D. ingens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Dinopithecus ingens | |
Dinopithecus ("terrible ape") is an extinct genus of very large primates, closely related tobaboons, that lived during thePliocene andPleistocene epochs inSouth Africa andEthiopia.[1][2] It was named by British paleontologistRobert Broom in 1937.[3] The only species currently recognized isDinopithecus ingens, asD. quadratirostris has been reassigned to the genusSoromandrillus.[4] It is known from several infilled cave sites inSouth Africa, all of early Pleistocene age, including Skurweberg,Swartkrans (Member 1), andSterkfontein (Member 4 or 5, but probably member 4).[1][2][5]
Dinopithecus ingens was approximately three to four times the size of the largest living baboons, with males averaging 49 kg (108 lb) and females 31 kg (68 lb), based on estimates from the molar teeth.[6] In some cases males were estimated to reach in maturity a weight of 77 kg (170 lb).[6] The most distinguishing feature of the genus is its large size in comparison to otherpapionins. The only other papionin species to attain a similar size wereTheropithecus brumpti andTheropithecus oswaldi.[6] These, however, are very different fromDinopithecus in their dental morphology.[2] Overall, the skull is similar to that of modern baboons, except that it generally lacks the facial fossae (depressions on the sides of the muzzle and lower jaw) and maxillary ridges (ridges of bone that run along the upper sides of the snout).[2][4] For these reasons,Dinopithecus is sometimes treated as a subgenus ofPapio.[2][7]
Most living papionins are omnivorous feeders that consume a wide range of readily digestible plant parts, especially fruits, as well as insects and other invertebrates, and small vertebrates.[8] An analysis of thecarbonisotopes from samples of itstooth enamel foundDinopithecus to consume the smallest portion of grass and other savanna-based foods of any South African primate.[9] Analysis of the microwear patterns on themolar teeth showed that they were similar to those of the living yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus), suggesting a broad and eclectic diet.[10] A study of the adaptations of the molar teeth suggested thatD. ingens ate a very high percentage of fruit and relatively few leaves.[11]
No bones of the limbs or other parts beyond the skulls and teeth have been attributed toDinopithecus, so it is impossible to know its mode of locomotion for certain. However, as a papionin of very large size, it most probably spent a significant amount of time on the ground and moved quadrupedally.[citation needed]
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