Locomotion in late Miocene hominoid

A study provides insights into the locomotion of the late Miocene hominoid Oreopithecus bambolii. The skeleton of O. bambolii, a hominoid from Europe dating from 8.3 to 6.7 million years ago in the Late Miocene, is more complete than that of any nonhominin hominoid. However, the kind of locomotion used by this species is unclear. By examining the pelvic and lumbar anatomy of an O. bambolii skeleton and other fossils, Ashley Hammond and colleagues found that this species was not capable of efficiently walking on 2 legs and was also not optimized for climbing like living great apes. The lower torso in O. bambolii differed from those of known fossil and living hominoids. O. bambolii lacked features that may have enabled the appropriate spine curvature and pelvic stabilization during upright walking. For example, the species did not possess a hominin-like protruding anterior inferior iliac spine, a bony eminence on the hip bone; short lower ilium, the uppermost part of the hip bone; or muscular configuration to maintain trunk stability during bipedal gait. Further, O. bambolii lacked the extreme adaptations for pelvic and lumbar rigidity associated with forelimb-dominated climbing in living great apes. According to the authors, these findings provide key insights into hominoid evolution.

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Article #19-11896: “Insights into the lower torso in late Miocene hominoid Oreopithecus bambolii,” by Ashley Hammond

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MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Hammond, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY; tel: 212-769-5885; e-mail:

[email protected]