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A team of researchers from around the world discovered the fossilized remains of a monkey that lived in Kenya 4.2 million years ago.
Known as Nanopithecus browni, this monkey is the "smallest monkey in the ancient world" ever discovered, weighing only between 2 and 3 pounds, similar to a white-tailed rabbit. It's also the size of a modern-day talapoin monkey, which is prevalent throughout Africa, according to the Encyclopedia of Life.
Found in the eastern part of Africa by researchers from the National Museums of Kenya, the University of Arkansas, the University of Missouri and Duke University, Nanopithecus browni can shed new light on the evolution of Guenon, which is still "misunderstood" by researchers.
Typical guenon (Allenopithecus), left, relative to the size of Nanopithecus browni, in the middle. The typical domestic cat included for comparison of scale. (Credit: Carol Ward)
FOSSIL SUGGESTS THE MOST OLD MOVEMENT OF HUMANS OUTSIDE AFRICA
"The discovery of Nanopithecus browni reaffirms Kenya's contribution to understanding the evolution and diversity of the Pliocene fauna and the environmental contexts in which they lived, "project leader Fredrick Kyalo Manthi said in a statement.
"The environmental changes that occurred at the Plio-Pleistocene may have influenced the current distribution of monkeys," added Manthi.
the Nanopithecus browni was found in the part of the Kanapoi site in Kenya, where were also some of the oldest known human ancestors.
This is the Kanapoi site in Kenya, East Africa. (Credit: Carol Ward)
Researchers analyzed the teeth of Nanopithecus and found that they were the same size as those of Miopithecus. The researchers also uncovered a partial mandible preserving two worn teeth.
"The size and proportions of the teeth, as well as the analysis of the relative size of the cusps and the development of the shear crest, clearly separate the fossil from all known wrenches", summarizes the state of the art. # 39; study.
The summary of the study adds that the small size lived "early in the lineage" and that the small size "is not solely related to the current habitat of Miopithecus, and perhaps that the Existing Miopithecus family members were much more widely distributed in the past. "
Modern talapoins live in tropical forests, but researchers still do not know what caused the evolution of monkeys. This is thought to have been caused by changes in forest habitats, but it is only a guess.
The research is published in the Journal of Human Evolution.
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