Catarrhine hallucal metatarsals from the early Miocene site of Songhor, Kenya.
Abstract
Songhor is an early Miocene fossil locality in Kenya known for its diverse primate
assemblage that includes catarrhine species belonging to the genera Kalepithecus,
Limnopithecus, Dendropithecus, Rangwapithecus, and Proconsul. Expeditions to Songhor
since the 1930s have recovered unassociated catarrhine postcranial remains from both
the fore- and hindlimbs, including multiple elements from the feet. In this study,
we describe KNM-SO 31233, a complete left hallucal metatarsal (Mt1), along with several
other fragmentary Mt1 specimens (KNM-SO 1080, 5129, 5141, 22235). These fossils were
compared to extant catarrhines and platyrrhines, as well as available fossil Miocene
catarrhine Mt1s. Morphometric data were obtained from 3D surface renderings and subjected
to a number of analyses to assess their phenetic affinity with the comparative sample,
make predictions of body mass, and to infer their functional morphology. The size
and shape of the Songhor Mt1s are diverse, exhibiting a large robust morph (KNM-SO
5141) similar in size but not in shape to extant African apes, medium-sized morphs
(KNM-SO 1080, 5129 and 22235), and a smaller, slender one (KNM-SO 31233) that has
a shape resembling arboreal quadrupedal leaping monkeys and suspensory atelines and
hylobatids. KNM-SO 31233 is unlike other known fossil Mt1s, and in general, none of
the Songhor Mt1s resembled any single extant anthropoid clade or species. The morpho-functional
diversity of Songhor Mt1s is consistent with an extensive morphological and phylogenetic
catarrhine diversity in the early part of the Miocene epoch.
Type
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18075Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.03.013Publication Info
Patel, Biren A; Yapuncich, Gabriel S; Tran, Cassandra; & Nengo, Isaiah O (2017). Catarrhine hallucal metatarsals from the early Miocene site of Songhor, Kenya. Journal of human evolution, 108. pp. 176-198. 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.03.013. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18075.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Gabriel Yapuncich
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Medical Education
I hail from the great mountain states of Montana (the state of my birth) and Wyoming
(the state of my childhood). I have a bachelor's degree in English literature from
the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor's degree in the evolutionary biology from
Columbia University. I completed my PhD in evolutionary anthropology at Duke University
in March 2017, working with Dr. Doug M. Boyer. I have taught gross and microanatomy
to Duke University School of Medicine students since 2018. In 2021, I

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