The oldest anthropoid primate in Asia

2000/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Giza zientziak

Anthropoid primates were pioneers in gorilla, chimpanzees, orangutes, livers and humans and in Africa the oldest specimen have been found; about 20 million years of age have found remains of different species in Africa. But the finding in Asia, 500 km from the Burmese capital of Rangoon, questions the theory of African origin of anthropoid primates: several teeth and a piece of jaw of an anthropoid primate that lived 58 million years ago.

The remains correspond to a primate of the Eosiniidae family and researchers have called Bahinia poundaungensis. The animal has a weight of about 400 g, the end is similar to the end of the chimpanzee and fed leaves and insects.

B. poundaungensis is the oldest anthropoid primate discovered to date; and the second is a 45 million year spectrum discovered in China. These findings reinforce the theory that primates originate in Asia and not in Africa.