Planet of the Apes Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planet of the Apes - Coursework Example These fossils suggest that two Eurasian ape lineages, the Siyapithecus and the Dryopithecus, are the ancestors of great apes and humans. The Siyapithecus are the presumably the forebears of the orangutan. The Dryopithecus are the ancestors of the African apes and humans. Unlike in Africa, full fossils of primates in Eurasia are not as abundant. The fossils of primates in Eurasia are mostly mandibles, teeth, and partial bone fragments. The first fossil primate found and named was Adapis parisiensis Cuvier 1822. This was a lemur found from the chalk mines of Paris. Cuvier, because of the mistaken belief that human origin came from Africa, thought his find was an ungulate. It was not until after Cuvier’s death that his student, Édouard Lartet, identified this first fossil as a higher primate. The Adapis parisiensis is now know as Pliopithecus. The Pliopithecus is a jaw. This and other evidence has convinced the skeptical scholars that these higher primates had once lived in Europe. The first fossil great ape, Dryopithecus, from the French Pyrà ©nà ©es was discovered in 1872. Many more ape jaws and teeth fragments, along with a few limb bones were found all over Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. These fossils suggest that two Euras ian ape lineages, the Siyapithecus and the Dryopithecus, are the ancestors of great apes and humans. A primitive ape and great ape’s differences began with their body size. A primitive ape is smaller than a great ape. A primitive ape had a body shaped like a monkey. This allowed treetop traveling, using all four limbs. With a long lower back, a flexible back, and a deep rib cage, treetop traveling was easy. Power and speed was enabled by flexible elbow, shoulder, and hip joints. These joints kept the limbs under the body. The arms and legs on a primitive ape were the same size. On the other hand, great apes were built to hang and swing from branch to branch. The