Mesopropithecus
| Mesopropithecus | ||||||||||||
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Skull of Mesopropithecus globiceps |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Mesopropithecus | ||||||||||||
| Standing , 1905 |
Mesopropithecus is an extinct genus of primates from the group of Palaeopropithecinae . She lived on the island of Madagascar until around 500 years ago.
Like all Palaeopropithecinae, Mesopropithecus had greatly elongated forelimbs and other anatomical features that indicate a suspensory (hanging down on the trees) way of life similar to that of sloths . The structure of the skull resembled that of the Sifakas , but was significantly larger. The weight of the animals is estimated at around ten kilograms.
The way of life and locomotion of Mesopropithecus was probably also characterized by slow, sedate movements. The diet probably consisted mainly of leaves.
There are three types:
- From mesopropithecus globiceps subfossil remains were found in central Madagascar.
- Mesopropithecus pithecoides was slightly larger and lived in central and western Madagascar.
- Mesopropithecus dolichobrachion was not discovered until the mid-1990s.
The extinction of these animals is likely to be causally related to the colonization of Madagascar by humans, which began around 1500 years ago. Subsequently, a number of primate species have disappeared, including the giant lemur . The reasons for this were hunting and habitat destruction, possibly coupled with climatic changes. Mesopropithecus was the smallest of the extinct genera and could have lived until around 500 years ago.
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
