Pierolapithecus catalaunicus Cranium

BH-059 $270.00

12.5-13MYA. Pierolapithecus catalaunicus was found in Hostalets de Pierola, Barcelona, Spain and is estimated to be 12.5-13 million years old. The holotype specimen is a partial skeleton of an adult male with 83 identifiable bones. The skull and post-cranial skeleton are a mosaic of derived and shared morphological features, making this Middle Miocene ape a good candidate to be the last common ancestor of great apes and humans. The facial features of P. catalaunicus would have resembled a gorilla today; a relatively flat face, high zygomatic roots, a wide nasal aperture (opening), flat nose and the relative proportions of the upper molars. When compared to other Miocene specimens, the relative size of the upper molars of P. catalaunicus puts it into a different branch of the hominoid tree. While the specimen was found in Spain, scientists suggest that it probably originated in Africa. However, since this specimen is the first of its kind, they cannot say for sure. Analyses of the rates at which differences began to arise in our DNA and other apes suggest that our family probably began to diverge about 13 million years ago, when P. catalaunicus was alive.

The Bone Clones® Fossil Hominid line is composed of discoveries from anatomically modern humans, archaic humans, early Homo, early hominins, and other hominids. The majority of the casts in this line have been recreated by our team of anatomical sculptors. Some are reconstructions made by anthropology professionals using fragmentary elements from original discoveries and extrapolating the missing parts from those (i.e. Neanderthal skeleton).