Lesson plan
Anoiapithecus
Anoiapithecus is an extinct ape genus thought to be closely related to Dryopithecus. Both genera lived during the Miocene, approximately 12 million years ago. Fossil specimens named by Salvador Moyà-Solà are known from the deposits from Spain. The discoverers described Anoiapithecus brevirostris as a hominoid (superfamily Hominoidea) in the dryopithecine tribe. They believe that it has more modern traits than the Kenyapithecines from which Kenyapithecus wickeri of Kenya brings fragmentary information. The African specimens are considered a sister taxon to the hominids, and specimens from Europe that are 2 million years younger must be from the time after these two groups split. This means that hominids may have evolved in Europe. The name comes from the Anoia River region in Catalonia, where the fossil was found. It has been given the nickname Lluc since it is a male individual. The name Lluc is the Catalan form of Luke, which in Latin suggests "light", as this discovery enlighted early hominoid evolution. The modern anatomical features that characterized the family Hominidae visible in Lluc's fossil among others are: unique facial pattern for hominoids, nasal aperture wide at the base, high cheek bone, and deep palate.
Article summary
Anoiapithecus is an extinct ape genus thought to be closely related to Dryopithecus. Both genera lived during the Miocene, approximately 12 million years ago. Fossil specimens named by Salvador Moyà-Solà are known from the deposits from Spain. The discoverers described Anoiapithecus brevirostris as a hominoid (superfamily Hominoidea) in the dryopithecine tribe. They believe that it has more modern traits than the Kenyapithecines from which Kenyapithecus wickeri of Kenya brings fragmentary information. The African specimens are considered a sister taxon to the hominids, and specimens from Europe that are 2 million years younger must be from the time after these two groups split. This means that hominids may have evolved in Europe. The name comes from the Anoia River region in Catalonia, where the fossil was found. It has been given the nickname Lluc since it is a male individual. The name Lluc is the Catalan form of Luke, which in Latin suggests "light", as this discovery enlighted early hominoid evolution. The modern anatomical features that characterized the family Hominidae visible in Lluc's fossil among others are: unique facial pattern for hominoids, nasal aperture wide at the base, high cheek bone, and deep palate.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.